Seventy more fisherfolk in Bataan province have joined efforts to help the local government units protect marine resources in their respective coastal waters as well as stop illegal fishing activities. Wilfredo Cruz, regional director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Central Luzon (BFAR-3), on Thursday said fishers from the towns of Orion, Samal and Mariveles are undergoing a two-day Fisheries Law Enforcement Training (FLET) training in order for them to be deputized as Bantay Dagat volunteers. ‘Binibigyang importansya sa pagsasanay na ito ang mahalagang papel na ginagampanan ng ating mga mangingisda hindi lamang sa seguridad sa pagkain kundi pati na rin ang malaking ambag nila sa pagpapaigting ng laban kontra sa illegal, unreported at unregulated fishing o IUUF (In this training, the role of the fishers is being given importance not only in the food security but also their big contribution in the intensified fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing or IUUF),’ Cruz said in an interview. He said the training is geared towards providing fisherfolk with the necessary legal, logistical and technical skills through lectures on national and local fisheries laws, vessel identification, detection of fish caught by explosives, conducting warrantless arrest and seizure and basic skills in completing legal forms. Last month, some 40 fishers from the towns of Hermosa, Orani, Abucay, Balanga, Pilar, Limay, Bagac, and Morong have undergone similar training to become deputized fish wardens. Aside from Bataan, BFAR-3, together with the Office of Provincial Agriculturist, also conducted the same training in Zambales and Aurora where fishing is one of the major sources of livelihood. ‘Their volunteerism is for the betterment of not just their communities but of their local environment,’ Cruz said earlier. The Bantay Dagat is a community-based law enforcement program that engages fisherfolk in coastal villages or barangays on a voluntary basis to support the detection and enforcement of anti-illegal fishing policies in the coastal waters.

Source: Philippines News Agency