THE BUREAU of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Thursday confirmed that the majority of “payaos” (fish aggregating devices) installed near Rozul Reef are now missing.
During the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing, BFAR spokesperson Nazario Briguera said they received verification on April 20 following a livelihood support mission of BFAR’s BRP Datu Pagbuaya.
"We have found out na iyong mga ibang payao, pagdating doon. ay wala na. I think sampu iyong nailagay, pero dalawa na lang ngayon ang nakita doon (that some of the payaos are gone. I think 10 were installed there, but only two were found there when the ship arrived)," he said.
Briguera said there are only two possible reasons for the missing payaos – that they may have been carried away by the current, or have been deliberately removed.
Meanwhile, he said the BFAR is yet to conduct further research on the status of corals in Rozul Reef.
"Kailangang tingnan iyong doon sa parang mga buhangin o coral rubbles, titingnan kung man-made ba ito, o ito talaga iyong natural appearance ng mga coral sa lugar (We must look on the sandbars or coral rubbles, to check if it is manmade or that's just the natural appearance of corals in the area)," he said.
Initial reports, however, showed that marine biodiversity in the area remains in "good condition," Briguera said. (Stephanie Sevillano)
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