Days of illegal fish pens in Laguna Lake numbered

Philippine Daily Inquirer  - May 30, 2006

Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes gave illegal fish pen operators in the Laguna Lake and seven other lakes in the province three months to demolish their structures or face penalties.

Reyes, in a statement, said he and Casimiro Ynares, general manager of the Laguna Lake Development Authority, agreed to remove all illegal fish pens in the lake to save it from further destruction.

The LLDA board of directors has approved has approved the proposal.

Reyes said the government would allow the owners of the illegal fish pens, which include individuals, cooperatives, associations and corporations, to harvest their produce in three months, after which they would be compelled to demolish their cages.

If they fail do so, the DENR would cause the demolition of the structures and confiscate the materials, aside from imposing administrative and criminal sanctions against the fish cage operators.

Illegal fish cage structures are those constructed outside the designated fish cage or fish pen belts, or were built without an operation permit from the LLDA, Reyes said.

In a dialogue with the fish pen operators recently, Reyes announced that the department would eradicate the illegal fish cage structures to preserve the required carrying capacity of the lakes.

In a later meeting, the LLDA board approved a plan for the revival of the lakes submitted by the DENR.