Dagupan finally OKs ordinance banning fish pens
IT’S LONG OVERDUE
FINALLY, the Dagupan City government can take a “no-compromise” stand with operators of fish pens after the city council passed the ordinance prohibiting the establishment of fish pens in any river or water way in Dagupan.
The ordinance, authored by Councilor Jeslito Seen, amended certain sections of the Dagupan City Coastal Fisheries Resource Management Ordinance of Year 2003 which allowed the establishments of fish pens in certain areas of the city whose owners thereof were charged aquatic lease agreement fees to the city of specified amounts.
Section 1 of Ordinance No. 551 approved by the council now states: “Prohibition of fish pens. Construction of fish pens in areas of public domain is prohibited. Thus, Sections 36, 37 and 38 of the Dagupan Fisheries Resource Management Ordinance as regards designated areas, design and layout and issuance of permit to operate fish pens are hereby amended.”
However, in their (fish pens) stead, fish traps like “poquet”, “batikwas”, “Skylab”, “Surewin”, “Skyblue” or other fish capture structures, including fish cages, of not more than 300 sq. meters in designated areas are allowed.
Also allowed by the amended ordinance are oyster beds and the traditional oyster stakes whose owners, including those of fish traps and fish cages, must pay fees, rental and charges to the city government.
The city government shall put all collections derived from the utilization and exploitation of the city waters in the general fund to be allocated for coastal resources management activities such as, but not limited to law enforcement and livelihood program for marginal fisherfolk, research, training and education.
Councilor Seen is optimistic that with the new ordinance, the problem of illegal fish pens in Dagupan City will be finally put to rest.
There are still 180 illegal fish pens in Barangay Pugaro alone whose owners were notified by the city government to remove their structures at their own expense by December this year.
However, nature advanced the schedule for many of these fish pens when Typhoon “Lando” destroyed them, setting loose into the rivers thousands of pesos worth of milkfish to the chagrin of unscrupulous operators. (Leonardo Micua)
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