Chatto urges to fast track ‘fish cartel’ probe, results

Governor Edgar M. Chatto has directed Assistant Provincial Agriculturist Larry M. Pamugas to make a follow-up for the fast-tracking of the investigation of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Bohol of the alleged “fish cartel” in the province which is the main cause of high prices and meager supplies of fish in the markets.

During the “Kita ug Ang Gobernador Program” last Friday at the Café Caloy near the house of the late President Carlos P. Garcia, Hontanosas St., Pob. 3, Tagbilaran City, Gov. Chatto said the investigation must be completed the soonest possible time to ease the apprehension among Boholanos on “fish cartel” in the province.

Pamugas said the committee on agriculture of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan chaired by Board Member Abeleon R. Damalerio is about to issue conclusion regarding the investigation.

He explained that Cebu has several cold storage facilities that can accommodate to freeze tons of unsold fish to serve as a buffer stock to be sold during low fish supply.

Pamugas added that following Christmas and New Year celebrations and two bad kinds of weathers there were lower fish supplies.

The governor himself admitted that there is really a difference of fish prices here in Bohol.
In a related development, the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) has called on the Coastal Law Enforcement Councils (CLECs) in Bohol to strengthen and strictly implement the laws on fishing in their respective municipalities.

The province of Bohol has eight CLECs composed of clustered and non-clustered towns in the province: CLEC one (Tagbilaran), two (Loon, Cortes, Maribojoc and Calape); three (Tubigon, Clarin, Buenavista and Getafe), four (Talibon, Bien-Unido, and Trinidad); five (Ubay, Pres. Carlos P. Garcia, Mabini and Candijay); six (Anda, Duero, Guindulman, and Jagna); seven (Garcia Hernandez, Valencia, Dimiao and Lila); eight (Loay, Albur, Dauis, Panglao and Baclayon).

The towns of Ubay, Tubigon, Talibon, Buenavista, Loon and Carlos P. Garcia have clearly enforced the laws, while illegal fishing like dynamite and liba-liba are rampant in the towns of Bien Unido and Getafe.

The entire province of Bohol has 182 marine sanctuaries but, accordingly, these are not managed well.

In a survey made by the fishery division of the OPA, only two of every 10 marine sanctuaries have different species of fish, while the rest only register numbers of angelfish (pata) which is less marketable.

The prevailing illegal fishing ends in a disaster in the next generation which would be one of the factors for the scarce supply of fish. (Atoy Cosap)