At least 65 AgSurnon volunteer ‘bantay danao’ fisherfolk are now ready to enforce fishery laws as they successfully completed the refresher training course on Fish Warden and Fishery Law Enforcement System conducted from March 6-10, 2023. The training participants were members of organized fisherfolk law enforcement groups from the municipalities of Talacogon, San Francisco, Rosario, Bunawan and Loreto.
The said training course aims to capacitate fisherfolk law enforcers in protecting and safeguarding the fishery resources of the Agusan Marsh. Due to its importance to biodiversity, the marsh was declared as Protected Area (categorized as Wildlife Sanctuary) through Republic Act 7586, the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992 as amended by RA 11038 otherwise known as the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018.
The Provincial Fisheries Office of Agusan del Sur, in partnership with the local government units and the Enforcement and Regional Monitoring Control and Surveillance Operation Center (ERMCSOC) of the Fisheries Management Regulatory and Enforcement Division, spearheaded the series of law enforcement trainings for the AgSurnon bantay danao groups.
Fishing Regulations Officer I John Rey Elifane of BFAR’s ERMCSOC served as resource speaker of the province-wide training and discussed the techniques in the conduct of surveillance and monitoring operations, as well as the salient points of the Republic Act (RA) 10654 or the Amended Fisheries Code.
With assistance of PFO personnel, surveillance and apprehension techniques were simulated by the training participants using their new patrol boats.
It can be recalled that last February the DA-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources headed by Regional Director Omnia B. Olama, awarded five (5) units of fiberglass reinforced patrol boats to bantay danao groups to boost its fight against electrofishing in the province. (Provincial Fisheries Office of Agusan del Sur)
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