Kinmen lauds new fishing rules

Kinmen authorities yesterday applauded a decision by Fujian Province authorities to prohibit certain types of fishing methods at sea, particularly the harmful practice of using dynamite to catch fish.

Yen Tah-jen, deputy magistrate of Kinmen County, said he was glad that both Kinmen and Fujian, which are separated by a narrow 2km channel, now finally have a common perception that both sides should jointly endeavor to protect fishery resources.

He said the latest Fujian policy serves as a good start in terms of cross-strait crime fighting cooperation, an area in which he believes that both sides will have ample room to do more.

According to Zheng Chuanmao (鄭傳茂), deputy secretary-general of the city government of Xiamen, Fujian, who landed in Kinmen yesterday for a business trip, the Fujian provincial government has recently created regulations which state that fishing by means of using dynamite, poison or electrocution is illegal and that violators will be dealt with severely.

The regulations, made public at the end of August, stipulate that all individuals and groups will be prohibited from using any of the above methods, that associations of people who use such methods and who manufacture and sell all equipment and articles for the purpose of such methods will be disbanded and that all relevant fishermen must register themselves and their equipment with their local governments before a Sept. 15 deadline, according to Zheng.

Zheng relayed the latest policy to the Kinmen authorities yesterday when he arrived from Xiaman to pick up eight Chinese fishermen who had been rescued Sept. 24 in waters near Kinmen after their vessel ran aground in stormy weather and rough seas.

The owner of the Zhe-Cang-Ji No. 20 (浙蒼機二十號) freighter, Huang Dingsang, and three crew members got into a life raft and sailed toward Kinmen to seek help after the vessle ran aground.

The raft then capsized in the rough seas during the voyage. The three crew members were able to swim to a reef near Kinmen, but Huang remains unaccounted for.

Residents from both Kinmen and Matsu have complained that Chinese fishing boats have repeatedly sailed across the demarcation line in defiance of Taiwan marine police forces' warnings and have used dynamite to catch fish.

Matsu fishermen attributed the Chinese fishermen's defiance to the "mildness" of the Taiwan coastal forces, who have been instructed to practice restraint in order to avoid confrontations with fishermen from China.