No fish pens, only fish traps, cages
MEDIA RIVER TOUR
EXCEPT for some fish pens which are subjects of court litigation, there are only fish cages and a variety of fish traps and oyster rafts called ‘tulos’ in Dagupan City’s rivers.
This was the observation of members of the local media who accompanied Mayor Belen Fernandez in an early morning tour of the Calmay River on March 27.
The river tour was called by the mayor for the local newsmen to verify reports that the illegal fish pens that proliferated the rivers of Dagupan less than two years ago had returned.
Members of the Fishpond Owners Operators and Fishermen’s Association of Dagupan City, Inc. who initially dared the city government to conduct a joint inspection with then, were conspicuously absent.
With Fernandez was City Agriculturist Emma Molina.
The group composed of reporters from the print (including The PUNCH), broadcast and television media, were on board ‘Philippines,’ one of the Island Tours boats.
Except for the illegal fish pens pointed out by Molina, the newsmen only found fish cages and fish traps as well as oyster rafts which the mayor said are all owned by small fishermen.
The group proceeded to the southern part of the Calmay River where fish traps and oyster traps abound. The fish cages were positioned in the western banks of the river.
Molina said the water of the Calmay River passed the standard for Class C water under the Clean Water Act.
The northern part of the Calmay River, which was teeming with fish pens two years ago, is where three dredging machines of the Department of Public Works and Highways are positioned for continuous dredging operation.
The western bank of the river in Barangay Lomboy is a fishpond, not fish pen, Molina pointed out.
Molina said that the fish cages can be easily mistaken as fish pens because these are anchored on bamboo floaters and not on drums like the ones being used in western Pangasinan which are very expensive.
The other contraptions noted in the waters of Dagupan are fish traps called “batikwas”, “sky blue”,”skylab” and oyster rafts.
She clarified that there are two controversial fish pens in Pugaro that cannot be removed because of court cases filed by different groups claiming ownership.
One of these is 2.6 hectares in area which is the source of legal battle in court between one Arnold Carcha and one Ely Mejia and his family. The other is a one-hectare fish pen of a family known only as Bautista.
Another is located in Sitio Tocok owned by one “Marcos Gonzales” and the other by one “Mario Calimlim.” The other was actually a fish cage owned by the barangay administrator of Pugaro.
DRAFT ORDINANCE
Meanwhile, Mayor Fernandez said “Our work to make our rivers more beautiful and sustainable is still ongoing. Hindi pa kami tapos.“
She said she has submitted a proposed ordinance to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) last week seeking to prohibit the establishment of fish pens and further amending Sections 36, 39, 41 and 56 of Ordinance No. 1768-2003 or the Dagupan City Coastal Fisheries Resource Management Ordinance of 2003.
The proposed ordinance was referred by Presiding Pro Tempore Karlos Reyna IV to the committees on agriculture and fisheries, and the committees on laws, ordinances and judiciary of the SP.
She said that once the draft is approved by SP, only fish cages and fish traps will be allowed in rivers. Fish pens will be banned because these were found to be unfriendly to the environment.
“We are just one year and 10 months in office and that we already caused the removal of 1,810 illegal fish pens that were teeming and tolerated by my predecessor,” said Fernandez, referring to then Mayor Benjamin Lim. (LVM)
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