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Two patrol boats from Spain boost drive against illegal fishing
By Jack C. Gadaingan
Manilla Bulletin
27th May 2004
TACLOBAN CITY — The arrival here the other day of two newly purchased patrol boats from Spain has given a big boost to the fishery-law enforcement effort of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Region 8 and the various local government units.
One of the state-of-the-art boats is 30 metres in length with three 1,400-horsepower engine, which can run up to 24 knots.
This will patrol the country’s exclusive economic zone in the Pacific Ocean to guard our marine resources against poachers. The primary port of this boat will be the town of Guiuan in Eastern Samar, and its secondary port is Tacloban City.
The other boat is 11 metres in length, powered by two 300-horsepower engines that can run up to 28 knots. It will patrol the inter-island waters of Region 8 against illegal fishers. The primary port of this boat will be the municipality of Carigara, and its secondary port is Babatngon town.
The crew for the boats is composed of personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and BFAR central and regional office. The captains of the boats are from PCG.
BFAR personnel are biologist, technologist and investigator. They have undergone training in manning the boats since Feb. 15, 2004 in Sangley Point, Cavite.
The monitoring to be conducted by the boats translates into action the mandate of Republic Act (RA) 8550 which seeks to ensure the attainment of fishery sector’s objectives of conservation, protection and sustained management of the country’s fishery and aquatic resources.
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