In a significant environmental update from Dumaguete City, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Negros Oriental has confirmed that there have been no instances of dynamite fishing in the region since the 1980s. This positive development was shared by Florencia Mepaña, the head of BFAR-Negros Oriental, who credits the absence of such illegal activities to heightened awareness among local fishermen about the harsh penalties associated with illegal fishing practices.
Mepaña noted that the cessation of dynamite fishing coincided with the death of a key figure allegedly involved in these illegal operations in a northern town of the province. Furthermore, regular market checks have consistently shown no signs of fish that were caught using explosive methods.
This announcement comes in the wake of a distressing event in Bais City, where five dolphins were found dead, suspected to have suffered from lung injuries caused by underwater explosions. Mepaña mentioned that BFAR will investigate claims of a new method of underwater blast fishing that might be responsible for the dolphins’ deaths. She also suggested that these marine mammals might have been disoriented by blasts in areas beyond the protected Tañon Strait, leading to their stranding on the shores of Bais City.