Authorities arrested a fisherman for engaging in dynamite fishing off the coast of this town on Monday evening.
According to a report from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Group, the suspect, a 43-year-old resident of Barangay Lamao in Limay, Bataan, was apprehended, while his five companions managed to escape by jumping into the sea and swimming toward the shore around 11:30 p.m.
In a phone interview on Tuesday, Col. Joel Garcia, chief of the PNP Maritime Unit in Central Luzon, said that their team had been monitoring the group since last month, following reports from local fishermen that they were allegedly using explosives to catch fish.
During a seaborne patrol operation near Capones Island on Monday night, the team spotted an unmarked blue motorized boat suspected of being involved in illegal activity.
‘When the suspects noticed our presence, they immediately fled toward the island,’ Garcia said.
He added: ‘Our personnel pursued them, resulting in the arrest of one suspect, while the others escaped to an unknown location.’
The arrested fisherman reportedly identified his companions, who are all residents of nearby Bataan province. Follow-up operations are underway, and appropriate charges are being prepared against the group.
Garcia said the suspect claimed they resorted to illegal fishing due to reduced fish catch brought by frequent storms.
Recovered from the suspect were the fishing boat, five improvised explosive devices with blasting caps, 13 bottles containing white substances believed to be ammonium nitrate, a compressor tank, a yellow-green compressor hose, and around 70 kilograms of assorted fish valued at about P3,000.
The confiscated materials and fish were turned over to authorities for proper documentation and disposal./coa