ILOILO – Seven fishermen caught using improvised dynamites off the coast of Barosbos Island in Carles, Iloilo, will face a criminal complaint for violating Section 88, Paragraph 1(b) of Republic Act 8550, or the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, filed before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Iloilo City today, a government press release said.

SPO1 Gilbert Piedad of the Iloilo Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force, who will file the complaint, said Fidel Mercorio and relatives Edgar and Jose, Enie de los Reyes, Regie Fenis, Arnel Lachica and Jerry Navarro were on board the M/BCAs Dodoy Baring and R.E. when they were arrested Tuesday.

The task force recovered from them three boxes of dynamited fish, air compressors and other diving paraphernalia.

Fish examiner Antonio Lobredo of the Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College in Concepcion confirmed that dynamites were used to catch the fish.

The erring fishermen were operating without permit – a violation of Section 86 of RA 8550. The complaint has been filed at the Balasan Municipal Circuit Trial Court, Piedad said.

The fishermen are now detained at the Carles Municipal Police Station, and their motorboats and diving gears are in the custody of the task force. Their fish catch were distributed to personnel of the San Dionisio and Concepcion Municipal Police Stations and to the Rural Health Unit of Concepcion.

On Sunday, the task force also apprehended seven fishermen onboard motorboat “Ryan Dave” for using encircling gill nets in violation of Section 90 of RA 8550, off Botlog Island in Concepcion.

They were identified as Ranty Bartolome, Rolando Medel, Leo Cojegas, Rogelio Bargani, Bernard Besonia, and two minors, all of Sitio Pasil in Barangay Tambaliza, Concepcion.

Another group of fishermen from Negros Occidental, who were using a trawl to catch shrimp, were also apprehended the same day in Tagubanhan Island in Ajuy.*PNA

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