An environmentalist group expressed concern that big-time illegal fishermen that prawl the Lamon Bay in Quezon province have been hiring armed crew, causing tension to rise in the rich fishing ground. “The situation is worsening. The crew of big-time illegal fishermen now [carry] weapons, making them dangerous. It is an outright disrespect to law enforcers,” Jay Lim, project officer of Tanggol Kalikasan (TK), said in an interview on Monday. He called on the authorities “to immediately act on the threat posed by illegal fishers not only against the environment but more so, against human lives, particularly law enforcers and small fishers.”

Mallari, D. T. Jr. (2024, January 24). Armed illegal fishers operate in Quezon waters, says groups. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A7.