GONZAGA, Cagayan – The DA-BFAR 2 has intensified its campaign against illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing activities along off-shore fishing grounds. In a recent operation in Minanga, Gonzaga, local fishers were apprehended for violating Republic Act No. 10654 by capturing prohibited species, including the manta ray, which is listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Law enforcement officers, found an approximately 400 kilograms of manta ray cut into pieces aboard a fishing vessel owned by a local fisher in the coastal barangay of Minanga, Gozaga, Cagayan on March 4, 2025.

Giant manta rays (Mobula alfredi), known as the world’s largest rays with wingspans reaching up to 26 feet, are particularly vulnerable. They are slow-growing, migratory animals that face significant threats from commercial fishing, both targeted and as bycatch, due to the high value of their gill plates in international markets.

Section 102 of the RA 10654 or the amended Philippine Fisheries Code states that the taking, catching, gathering, selling, purchasing, possessing, transporting, forwarding or shipment of threatened, rare and endangered aquatic species covered in the CITES List is prohibited and violators shall face legal repercussions outlined in the law.

The DA-BFAR 2’s enforcement actions align with national and international efforts to protect marine biodiversity and combat IUU fishing. These measures are essential to ensure the sustainability of marine resources and the preservation of threatened species like the manta ray. (with reports from S. Buguina, ERMSOC)