Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region 6 director Remia Aparri has called on members of the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force Against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (RIATF-IUUF) to translate their agreements into tangible action, warning that the region’s recent gains in fisheries production could be undermined by continued marine abuse and weak enforcement. Speaking during the task force’s second-quarter meeting on July 3, Aparri underscored the need for “stronger coordination, accountability, and science-based enforcement” in addressing top illegal fishing threats in Western Visayas, including hulbot-hulbot (Modified Danish Seine), trawl operations within municipal waters, dynamite fishing, and the use of fine-meshed nets.

BFAR urges task force to act decisively vs illegal fishing as ecosystem threats persist. (2025, July 5-6). Panay News, p. 5.