THE militant fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), together with environmental alliance Save Laguna Lake Movement, on Monday staged a picket in the offices of the Laguna Lake Development Authority and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to demand the immediate and unconditional dismantling of wide fish pens owned by large corporations and individuals in Laguna de Bay.
Vast-tracts of fish pens in the 90,000-hectare brackish lake are now illegal after the government ceased issuing permits in line with its campaign to dismantle fish pens in Laguna de Bay to give way for the utilization of small fishers who have been deprived of their common fishing grounds for years due to fish pen proliferation and congestion.
Pamalakaya said data from the LLDA showed there were approximately 13,000 hectares of private fish pens in Laguna de Bay.
But deeper study conducted by Pamalakaya and SLLM claimed that 60 percent of the size of Laguna de Bay is occupied by private fish pens.
Pamalakaya and SLLM welcomed the government’s anti-fish pen campaign.
But it said it should be done hastily for the small fishers eagerly await their fishing zone to be reopened again for common use.
Pamalakaya said in a statement: “Getting rid of wide fish pens in Laguna de Bay is a good riddance. It is a welcome development towards reviving the dying lake because it contributes to the lake’s pollution through its chemical-based feeds used to culture fish.
“But government should strictly enforce its anti-fish pen campaign targeting large corporations and individuals who own more than what is the designated size by using different dummies.”
