‘Improve watch over northern coasts’

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and 4th District Rep. Benhur Salimbangon yesterday discussed the procurement of boats to patrol the waters off Malapascua Island in northern Cebu.

In a meeting at the Capitol with Regional Director Andres Buhos of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Central Visayas (BFAR-7), Salimbangon said boats were needed for effective protection of marine resources in the area.

“We need a faster, more efficient boat,” Salimbangon said.

Salimbangon said he was concerned about the safety of the thresher sharks off Malapascua, a tourist destination.

Thresher sharks are part of the attractions in the tourist spot, but these are threatened by dynamite fishers, Salimbangon said.

The loss of the sharks would weaken tourism in Malapascua, he said.

Salimbangon also said that the interagency task force against illegal fishing should be highly visible in resource rich areas where illegal fishing has been reported, particularly northern Cebu.

Buhos of BFAR stated that even if the sea surrounding is Malapascua has sea snakes and sting rays, it is still critical that they protect the thresher sharks, which are very sensitive creatures.

Governor Garcia said the province will assign patrol boats along with a special task force in Malapascua and Bantayan Island, where thresher sharks also reside.

Congressman Salimbangon said the procurement of patrol boats will complement Garcia’s war against illegal fishing.

The boats were requested 10 years ago through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), but not all have been delivered, he said.

However, there is no inventory of the boats that arrived.

Garcia said the local government must coordinate with the national government yet not wait for it to protect local marine resources.