MBTF affirms no extension for illegal fish pens
OCTOBER 10 DEADLINE
MAYOR Belen Fernandez confirmed the October 30 deadline for the demolition and dismantling of all the illegal fish pens in the waters of Dagupan City.
She said all the rivers are scheduled to undergo massive dredging shortly.
In an interview with The PUNCH, she said the city government recently bought a long-armed backhoe that is arriving very soon to undertake the massive dredging of rivers that have become shallow because of siltation.
The expected dredging operation will be a boon to fishermen because once the rivers are dredged, there will be more fish and the flow of runoff water from the upland to the Lingayen Gulf will be faster, she said.
“When the dredging is completed, we can allow one small fish cage of five by five meters for each poor family living by the riverside but they will be required to observe the regulation per ordinance,” she said.
Fish pens are now banned by a city ordinance. Only fish cages, fish traps like “puket”, “sure win”, “sky blue” and similar others, as well as oyster beds are allowed.
The dredging operation will complement the ongoing dredging of the Calmay River by two dredging machines of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Demolition of illegal fish pens by the Task Force Bantay Ilog is going on daily with some 70 fish pens already demolished to date, she added.
She said the Dagupan City Police headed by Supt. Neil Miro, who accompanied her on an ocular inspection trip around the rivers, has committed to help the city government enforce the deadline.
Fernandez confirmed that the task force does not allow the fresh stocking of fry in existing fish pens since all the fish pens will have to go on October 30 anyway.
“It is easy to put up fish pens, like those more than 700 given the nod by the previous city administration from 2010 to 2013, but to demolish them took much of their time, energy and resources,” she said.
She said the condition of the rivers today is much better and cleaner than in the past. This fact is attested to by fishermen who say they are catching more fish today. (Leonardo Micua)
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