Tañon Strait an Anti-Poaching Zone
The different government units and stakeholders have forwarded in one of their main goal for champagning and protecting the Tañon Strait. More Coast Guard boats are to be used for patrols and survey every now and then.
Tañon Strait
The Tañon Strait is home to many aquatic and marine life dolphins and whale sharks. It separates the islands of Cebu and Negros with its body of water that measures a width of 5 – 27 kilometers and length of 161 kilometers.
Poaching and Illegal Activities in Tañon Strait
According to Nathaniel Lucero, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) officer in charge, the number of seafood harvests like sardines and mackerels have declined in the Visayan Sea. With the ongoing illegal activities and poaching, the number of these marine harvests can lead to less income and consumption for families, especially near the shore.
As part of the serious campaign to protect the body of water, the different government agencies have released three Coast Guard boats to patrol Tañon Strait. The Visayan Sea was declared on Wednesday as a no-fishing zone by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources as of November 15, 2017, to February 15, 2018. Commercial fishing will be taken to legal step once caught red-handed as explained by Environmental lawyer and vice president of the Oceana Philippines Gloria Estenzo-Ramos.
“With the designation of a special prosecutor for Tañon Strait, we will no longer have to file cases through city or prosecutors. There will be a state prosecutor from the Department of Justice [DOJ] who will handle the cases,” said Gloria Estenzo-Ramos.
