Chinese encroaching on Pangasinan fishing grounds – Filipino fishermen
SUAL, Pangasinan — As Pangasinan and Zambales fishermen lose their fishing grounds in the West Philippine Sea, marginal fisherfolk in this coastal town are facing a similar problem: the encroachment of Chinese fish cage operators into their traditional fishing grounds.
Local fishermen are demanding the removal of hundreds of fish cages that they said have occupied Calpay Shoal in Barangay Cabalitian, where generations of residents have made their living.
They accused workers of the Chinese operators of driving them away from the waters where their families have fished for generations, forcing them to sail to nearby coastal towns.
The Cabalitian fishermen said the Chinese operators previously confined their operations to the Sual Mariculture Zone, where thousands of fish cages are located.
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However, allegedly due to water pollution in the mariculture zone, the operators began transferring their cages to Calpay Shoal in Cabitaogan Bay off Cabalitian Island, said Nicasio Abata, 80, leader of the Small Fisherfolk and Stakeholders of Cabalitian.
In an interview with the Inquirer on Saturday (November 7), Abata said 99 fish cage structures had been transferred from the mariculture zone before May 2026, followed by another 33 shortly afterward.
“They have no permission from the barangay or the local government to transfer to Calpay Shoal, making their operations illegal,” Abata said.
The Sual Municipal Agriculture Office also said it had not issued any permit or authorization for the placement of fish cages in the shoal.
“The unmitigated operations of these illegal structures have restricted the traditional fishing grounds of marginalized local fishermen, caused severe ecological degradation, and directly threatened the marine biodiversity of the sea,” the Cabalitian fishermen said in a petition submitted to various government agencies. /mcm
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