About 2,800 fishers from Pingtung and Yilan counties yesterday marched in Taipei to protest against stricter regulations, while civic groups called on the government not to loosen regulations barring illegal fishing activities.
Since Taiwan was given a “yellow card” about illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities by the EU in October 2015, the Council of Agriculture has been trying to get the nation removed from the list by tightening regulations.
Since January last year, when the Act Governing Distant Water Fisheries (遠洋漁業條例), the Act to Govern Investment in the Operation of Foreign Flag Fishing Vessels (投資經營非我國籍漁船管理條例) and amendments to the Fisheries Act (漁業法) took effect, the council has issued fines of more than NT$120 million (US$3.9 million) as of Oct. 25.
Photo: CNA
The protesters marched from the council building to the Legislative Yuan, demanding that the government retract the “irrational” regulations, pass legislation to specifically govern fishers’ labor standards and increase maritime patrols in the nation’s exclusive economic zones.
It was the largest-ever protest by local fishers, who cannot but take to the streets because they have no other way to oppose the government’s oppression, said Wang Hsin-chan (王新展), director of a self-help group of fishers from Donggang.
Due to the government’s failure to protect the nation’s exclusive economic zones, local fishers can hardly work in waters near Parece Vela (沖之鳥, known as the Okinotori Islands in Japan), Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) and the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), Siaoliouciou Fishers’ Union chairman Tsai Pao-hsing (蔡寶興) said.
Regarding the council’s plan to include fishers’ working regulations in the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), Tsai said the move is unfeasible, as the working conditions of distant-water fishers are different from those of regular workers.
Fisheries Agency Deputy Director Lin Kuo-ping (林國平) told reporters that the agency would discuss with the Ministry of Labor and fishers’ groups to see if distant-water fishers could be covered by Article 84-1 of the act, which governs flexible working hours.
Other regulations are not likely to be loosened, as they follow international standards, Lin said.
A coalition of migrant worker advocate groups, including Greenpeace Taiwan, the Taiwan International Workers’ Association and the UK-based Environmental Justice Foundation’s Taiwan branch, yesterday issued a joint statement urging the government to keep cracking down on illegal fishing activities.
While the government’s implementation of the law has some room for improvement, it should not cave in to pressure or loosen the regulations, otherwise the nation might be given a “red card” by the EU, they said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source