IN a ruling on Dec. 19, 2024, the Supreme Court unilaterally erased the concept of "municipal waters" with respect to the regulation of fishing grounds in favor of local fishermen. The decision may have been correct based on a strict and literal reading of the Constitution, which is how the Supreme Court presented it; but even that is questionable, and the ruling certainly ignored the spirit of the law, to the detriment of one of the country's poorest economic sectors, local communities, the marine environment and perhaps even the country's food security.
