The joint maritime patrol of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Roxas Bantay Dagat apprehended on Friday 53 fishermen allegedly engaged in illegal fishing activity off North Verde Island in Roxas, Palawan.
According to PCG, a fishing banca with 53 Filipino fishermen onboard was caught fishing using fine mesh nets as fish traps and air compressors as breathing apparatus.
The incident is a clear violation of Republic Act 10654, also known as the The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, in which the use of fine mesh nets was declared unlawful, especially when gathering of species which by their nature are small, such as fry, glass eels, elvers, tabios, and alamang.
An municipal ordinance also bans commercial fishing operations in the waters of Roxas.
The PCG said the banca and all the fishermen involved are currently on hold in Barangay 4, Poblacion, Roxas.
They are set to be turned over to the custody of the regional Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for the filing of necessary charges and for further action.