Ocean industrial park mulled for southern Taiwan

Representatives from the government, industrial and academic sectors met for a colloquium yesterday aimed at establishing an ocean industrial park in southern Taiwan and the enactment of a law governing related affairs.

The colloquium, sponsored by the Executive Yuan's Southern Taiwan Office and the Fisheries Administration under the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture (COA), called together some 200 delegates from academic, corporate and public policy fields to discuss how an ocean industrial park can be established in southern Taiwan, which yields about 70 percent of Taiwan's maritime output every year.

Addressing the symposium, You Hung (尤宏), CEO of the Executive Yuan's Southern Taiwan Office, said that although Taiwan has had success in developing science-based industrial parks, which have in turn created an "economic miracle" for the country, the nation has little knowledge about developing ocean-based industrial parks.

It is vital for Taiwan to have its own ocean-based industrial parks as it is a maritime nation, You claimed.

Against this background, You said, the COA Fisheries Administration was asked to initiate the plan to establish an ocean industrial park in the south and to pursue the enactment of related laws.

Also speaking at the symposium, Hu Yi-hsiang (胡以祥), a researcher with You's office, said the country faces many problems and issues regarding the ocean industrial park establishment plan, including Taiwan's disputed exclusive economic zone, part of which overlaps with that of Japan's, and controversy over Taiwan fishing rights in disputed waters in the East China Sea.

Other issues pertaining to the plan include talent nurturing and training; industrial processing of frozen seafood and related products, their storage, distribution and international marketing; and the integration and use of oceanic and maritime technology.

Also speaking at the symposium, Chen Yang-i (陳陽益), dean of the College of Marine Science under National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung, said that maintaining a fair and efficient fishery policy is crucial for the nation if it intends to increase its fishery production.

Noting that 25 percent of the world's marine resources have dried out or are dying, while another 44 percent has reached its limit, Chen said that good fishery management is vital in terms of maintaining sufficient fishery production.