ANTIQUE – Seven individuals were apprehended by the Pandan Municipal Police Station (MPS) for illegal fishing after they were caught operating without the required permit along the coastline of Barangay Nauring, Pandan town on January 28.
The arrest was made at around 1:28 p.m. during an anti-illegal fishing operation conducted by the Pandan MPS in coordination with the Department of Agriculture (DA)–Pandan and the local Bantay Dagat, following violations of Municipal Ordinance No. 03-2022, or the Illegal Fishing Ordinance.
Police identified the suspects as one boat captain, two engine mechanics, and four crew members, all residents of Pandan.
Seized during the operation were a medium-scale commercial fishing vessel valued at approximately P300,000, fishing nets worth about P50,000, and around 25 kilograms of assorted fish with an estimated market value of P3,500.
The apprehended individuals were issued citation tickets and fined a total of P34,000. Confiscated fishing paraphernalia were turned over to the DA–Pandan for proper disposition.
Local authorities reiterated their commitment to strictly enforce fishing regulations to protect marine resources and urged the public to comply with existing laws to help preserve coastal ecosystems./PN
