Details of what is illegal fishing please

[gee13]

One very encouraging thing we saw was in bunaken a patrol boat checking for tags from divers and snorkellers. They even got heavy on a boat of snorkellers that were standing on the coral reef. Whether they take bribes from the fishermen to turn a blind eye is another story. Its Indonesia after all... not much different to how money talks in PI. Main question is what the Bantay Dagat does with all the contributions from dive operators. Whos pockets are being filled vs what is actually done. I dont think there are audits on the department made like we have a legitimate fisheries department here in Australia that all fishermen are fearful of being heavily fined or their assets repossesed for breaking the laws. Hang on not sure if true but whats this story I heard of in Burma that if fishermen are caught illegal fishing or fish bombing the military will just shoot them on site!

 

[eagerbeaver]

Obviously I can only speak for Malapascua.

Money paid to the government through the dive ops goes to the local municipality. You'll have to ask them what they do with it. A small portion returns to the local barangay and is used to pay for fuel for Bantay Dagat boats.

Money donated(it is optional) to the dive ops in addition to the above, is used to directly pay the Bantay Dagat workers(ex fishermen) who go out every day to Monad Shoal and keep fisherman away from the reef area and the sharks etc. I can 100% confirm this as Evolution is currently the point where the Bantay Dagat workers clock in and out every day; and where they collect their payroll once a month. Most, but not all, dive ops on Malapascua donate something from their divers to this scheme and the responsibility of monitoring the workers and paying them revolves between a few of the key dive ops.

I know that on Dauin they have a very good and effective MPA system with tickets which ensures no fishing in the MPAs. A % of the money goes to the men who man those sites(ex fishermen) as a salary. The rest goes to the municipality and again, you'll have to ask them!

Hope that's clear

 

[okidoki]

Hi Guys,
Some more news from the 12 committed communities to manage their MPA's as efficient as posible, Have a look at the link and ask those burning questions by posting it .
12 Pride Campaigns, 12 Logos, 12 Mascots towards 1 Vision | RarePlanet

 

[brain45]

Burma is quiet a nasty place i heared so it could be true "shooting"

 

[rickthediver]

Hi Matt. I can understand your frustration. If you want to change the fishing practices in your area the only effective way is by changing the local Fisheries Ordinance.

To do this go the Mayor and make your suggestions and then to the municipal fisheries officer who will be from BFAR. Once an ordinance is drafted then there need to a series of public hearings so that all people affected can have their say [includes fishermen]. The draft ordinance is then sent to the provincial level to checked to see if it is legal, if it is then it is sent back to the municipality for them to vote and pass it as an ordinance. Once passed locally it goes back to the provincial level and it has to be passed by the provincial government. Only then will you have anything to work with, as the Bantay Dagat etc..can only enforce laws that have been properly drafted. In the provisions of the fisheries ordinance you could make it illegal to use any fishing nets in certain areas and the catching of certain species such as thresher sharks and mantas. We've reached the stage of the SB voting on our new ordinance in PG - this has taken 12 months. In it we have a ban on the sale or catching of any species of shark, as well as declaring almost all of the dive sites a Marine Conservation Zone - outlawing all net fishing of any kind, as well as spearfishing [even if only snorkeling]. Then...we plan to train up another 40 or so Bantay Dagat and support them with free us of boats etc...All provisional of course on the ordinance being passed at both levels of government.

Cheers

Rick

 

[eagerbeaver]

Good info Rick, thanks. Will look forward to hearing positive responses as your ordinance is on going. If you have anything you can email me, that can give me a better idea of how it is written out, then please do.

Roman and Nick here doing some tech dives....well trained guys mate