09462269586 Sairah Cuizon

Poor enforcement of forestry, fishery laws in Panguil Bay

By MARS MARATA
Arnel is one of the three fisherfolks on board a motorized bancawe chanced upon in the middle of the
coastal waters of Kapatagan, Lanao del Norteduring our coastal zoning activity last week. They were
pulling their fishing net from the brackish water as our team of marine researchers and local
development planners was getting nearer their spot. When our boats were only one meter apart from
each other I saw fresh gisaw blanketing the boats floor. Whats your estimate of your catch? I asked
Arnel. More or less three kilos sir, he replied as he removed more fishes clinging on the net.
Arnel and company were out in the sea for more than four hours already when we met them. Learning
that they were about to return to the shore, I wondered how would the three divide such a limited
catch. Arnel told me that they would sell the catch at the local market at P40 per kilo so they would earn
roughly P120. Minus their fuel expense of P60, they would have a net income of P60 or roughly P20 for
each of them.
Arnel,who spent most of his childhood with his father fishing in Panguil Bay recalled how things have
changed for the past two decades. He said that the same time spent fishing in his youth could give
them 3-5 kilos for an hour or roughly 36-60 kilos for an overnight out in the sea.
The past that Arnel recalled was thedecade 80s, the time when Panguil Bay still enjoyed the distinction
as one of the worlds diverse and abundant water bodies. In the decade that followed, it was
considered as one of the worlds overfished waters and was at its critical stage in terms of bio-diversity.
A college dropout, Arnel attributed this drastic decline of their catch to two major causes, namely:
destruction of mangrove forest and the proliferation of illegal fishing methods like
bungsodandsanggabor giant filter net,in almost every part of the Panguil Bay.
Mangrove forest, on the one hand, which serves as the breeding ground and resting place of varied fish
species, crabs and shrimps have been cut and gave way to fishpond operation.In the 70s mangrove
forest was estimated to be at 8,000 hectares. Today, it is placed at not more than 1,000 hectares. With
mangrove forest cleared, the fishing villagesare exposed to strong winds and other climate disturbances,
aside from denying aqua-marine species their natural habitat, a flagrant violation of the Revised Forestry
Code of the Philippines. Aggravating it is the unchecked use of chemicals by fishpond operators to clear
unwanted weeds and molluscs from fishponds, poisoning other life forms in the bay.
Bungsod, on the other hand, is a type of fishing method using a vast expanse of fishing nets cast in the
sea and attached to bamboo poles positioned in letter V.Like sanggab, it is prohibited by Republic Act
8550, otherwise known as the Fisheries Code of the Philippines of 1998.
According to Arnel, bungsodand sanggabare so destructive in that they trap not only the mature fish,
crabs and shrimps but the fries and fingerlingsas well,preventing these potential aqua-marine
resources from becoming mature resulting to the loss of sources of livelihood of thousands of marginal
fisherfolks like him.
But the woes of Arnel and thousands more like him could have been minimized had the appropriate
national government agencies like the environment and agriculture departments been responsive

enough to the above cited challenges. Both the Revised Forestry Code and Fisheries Code of the
Philippines are unequivocal onthe states mandate of proper utilization and development of the
countrys forests and aqua-marine resources.
Meanwhile, the fragmented responses of municipalities from the three provinces of Misamis
Occidental, Zamboanga del Sur and Lanao del Norte that are enjoying the blessings of the bay have
achieved but very minimal impact on the issues mentioned. And itis regrettable that the fisherfolks--as
one sector--and an indispensable stakeholder in the development of the bay have not been as strong as
expected.
Unless there is serious enforcement of forestry and fishery laws in Panguil Bay, fishpond,
bungsodandsanggab operators will continue to rake their profitsfrom their illegal fishing activities while
Arnel and his fellow marginal fisherfolksof about 10,000will remain wallowed in subsistence living
condition. Surely, under the present order of things the chance of survival of Arnelschildren and that of
his fellow fisherfolks will be as murky as that of their fishing waters of the Panguil Bay.
Reference: Panguil Bay Fisheries over the Decades: Status and Management Challenges
Jaime U. Jimenez, Asuncion B. De Guzman, Cesaria R. Jimenez and Rodrigo E. Acua
Institute of Fisheries Research and Developmen, Mindanao State University at Naawan, 9023 Naawan, Misamis Oriental,
Philippinesl

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