Efforts to curb dynamite fishing that ruins corals and kill juvenile fishes daily has gained ground after the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) joined hands with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) to train more fish wardens, with 20 completing their training course in Ilocos Norte recently. BFAR and WWF cited the study of Rupert Sievert, which said that up to 70,000 fishermen were engaged in dynamite fishing in 1999 but the number may have dwindled as a result of the operations of fish wardens belonging to the Bantay Dagat. The new Bantay Dagat members in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte were led by former Marine sergeant Armanto "Sarge" Pante who spent 21 years fighting in Mindanao, the most distinguished of which came in his battles with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Camp Abubakar in 2000 and the Abu Sayaff. He hung his boots in 2002.

Chavez, C. A. (2015, January 31). More fish wardens for Bantay Dagat. Manila Bulletin, p. 14.