Demolition of illegal fish pens starts Oct. 4
Mayor Lim: “No extension, no sacred cows”
ILLEGAL fish pens in Dagupan will be demolished by the city government starting October 4 in preparation for the implementation of a one year moratorium to clean up the city’s river system.
Owners have earlier been given until September 30 by Mayor Benjamin Lim to voluntarily remove their illegal structures.
City Agriculturist Emma Molina said some owners of the more than 700 fish pens in the main river streams have already harvested their fish but others are still continuing with their operation, seemingly hoping for another extension.
Lim, however, said he is bent on implementing the moratorium on the operation of fish pens here to give the Sangguniang Panglunsod time to draft a new law or amend the existing fisheries code.
“Alam natin na sa sobrang paggamit natin ng mga ilog at sa proliferation ng mga fish pen na karamihan ay hindi na nakakasunod sa reglamento ayon sa isinasaad ng fisheries code, naging marumi na ang ating mga ilog, kasama pa rito ang pagtatapon ng mga basura at pati dumi ng tao, kaya dapat nating pagtuonan ng pansin na malinisan ang mga ilog natin sa lungsod,” said Lim.
Stakeholders, who participated in a symposium for the aquaculture industry last September 28, have agreed on the need for the one-year moratorium.
“It is the consensus of the participants in the just recently concluded symposium that we implement a one year moratorium so our rivers can relax for a moment,” added Lim.
Some of the participants sought an extension of their operation up to December 30, but Lim said “the river is slowly dying and the time to act is now”.
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