More than 400kg of meat allegedly harvested from whales and dolphins was intercepted by the Coast Guard Administration in Yilan County’s Suao Township (蘇澳) on Wednesday, even though hunting cetaceans has been banned for more than two decades, the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) said yesterday.
The Forestry Bureau, which previously managed protected species before transferring responsibility to the OCA, in 1995 listed all cetaceans as protected and banned hunting and trading in the animals, the OCA said.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Yilan County Government informed the OCA that Coast Guard Administration officials in Suao had stopped a driver surnamed Lin (林), who was delivering 449.5kg of meat seemingly cut from cetaceans, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration
The Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau is to perform DNA identification on the sampled meat, the OCA said.
The driver is being investigated for contravening the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), which imposes a prison term of six months to five years or a fine of between NT$300,000 and NT$1.5 million (US$9,653 and US$48,267) on those harassing, abusing, hunting, slaughtering or trading protected species or products made from them, it said.
Lin initially claimed he was delivering shark meat, which is not banned, but county agricultural officials judged from its appearance that it might have been taken from cetaceans, Coast Guard Administration Fleet Branch Seventh Corps Deputy Captain Yang Chi (楊淇) said.
The slain creatures might have been caught in the waters off Yilan and sold to people near industrial parks in Yunlin and Changhua counties, Yang said, adding that further investigation would be required.
The possible consumers are foreign workers who are said to prefer meat with a heavier flavor, while Taiwanese could also be the likely buyers, he said.
Businesspeople from central and southern Taiwan often visit Suao to collect cetacean meat, Yang said, citing information obtained from local fishers.
Consumers often order dolphin meat at restaurants by asking for “No. 12 pork,” because dolphins are “sea pigs” in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) and pigs are ranked 12th in the Chinese zodiac, he added.
Despite the ban on hunting protected species, there is demand, OCA Marine Conservation Division head Ko Ching-lin (柯慶麟) said.
The seized meat is being stored at a county government warehouse and it would be destroyed when the judicial investigation closes, Ko said.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
BACK TO WORK? Prosecutors said they are considering filing an appeal, while the Hsinchu City Government said it has applied for Ann Kao’s reinstatement as mayor The High Court yesterday found suspended Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) not guilty of embezzling assistant fees, reducing her sentence to six months in prison commutable to a fine from seven years and four months. The verdict acquitted Kao of the corruption charge, but found her guilty of causing a public official to commit document forgery. The High Prosecutors’ Office said it is reviewing the ruling and considering whether to file an appeal. The Taipei District Court in July last year sentenced Kao to seven years and four months in prison, along with a four-year deprivation of civil rights, for contravening the Anti-Corruption
RSS