300-hectare fishpen dismantled at Laguna de Bay

At least 300 hectares of fishpens were dismantled at the Laguna de Bay around Binangonan, Rizal as part of ongoing efforts to rid the lake of illegal structures.

In a report by Oscar Oida on Balitanghali on Thursday, the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) said fish pens covering 313 hectares of the lake were voluntarily disassembled by companies in that area.

The dismantling was part of the promise made by 15 companies operating in the area to reduce the maximum size of their fishpens to 25 hectares.

An additional 40 hectares of fishpens were demolished by the LLDA in Biñan, Laguna and Muntinlupa City.

LLDA officials said there were a total of 14,000 hectares of fishpens in Laguna de Bay before the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) carried out President Rodrigo Duterte's directive to rid the lake of illegal structures and give small fishermen access to traditional fishing grounds.

Fish pens that never had permits, are in the way of navigational lanes, exceed set spaces, never paid taxes, or are outside of their designated areas -- will be subject to dismantling.

The LLDA aims to bring down the number of pens to 9,000 and has  so far disassembled 2,000 hectares since January. — Rie Takumi/MDM/KVD, GMA News