Owners of Taiwanese fishing boats anchored in Cape Town, South Africa, are planning to have their vessels sail back to Taiwan and seek compensation from the government in the face of international punishment for their bad behavior on the high seas, a diplomat from Taiwan said on Friday.
Liu Ching-lei (劉青雷), director of Taiwan's representative office in Cape Town, said shipowners will seek compensation from the government if the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) goes ahead with its decision to cut Taiwan's quota for bigeye tuna to 4,600 tonnes next year from the current level of 149,000 tonnes.
The move will lead to a reduction in the size of Taiwan's Atlantic bigeye tuna fleet from 76 to 15 boats, Liu said.
unacceptable
What the vessel owners cannot accept is that although 15 fishing vessels will still be able to catch bigeye tuna in the Atlantic next year if the quota cut is implemented, the boats will be subject to severe ICCAT inspections every three months in Cape Town or at Spanish ports, which will add a great financial burden to their operations, Liu said.
The owners are also disgruntled with the government, accusing it of licensing them to construct large fishing ships, he said, adding that they plan to seek government compensation for their current difficulties.
Liu urged Taiwanese fishermen to change their way of thinking and operating if they want to retain a role in the international community.
Taiwan fishermen must never again engage in poaching of fish or fish laundering and should follow international norms and practices while operating on the high seas at a time when global fish resources are plunging and environmental consciousness is growing around the world, he said.
halt operations
Under the ICCAT sanctions, 20 bigeye tuna fishing vessels currently operating in the Atlantic will have to switch to catching other types of fish, while another 41 vessels will have to halt operations altogether.
Hsieh Ta-wen (謝大文), director-general of the Fisheries Administration under the Council of Agriculture, said yesterday the name list of the 15 fishing vessels that will allowed to continue bigeye tuna fishing will be turned over to the International Commission for the ICCAT by Dec. 20.
Hsieh said the administration will formulate "fair and just criteria" in the coming days to select the 15 vessels.
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
There have been clear signs of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempts to interfere in the nationwide recall vote on July 26 in support of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators facing recall, an unnamed government official said, warning about possible further actions. The CCP is actively involved in Taiwanese politics, and interference in the recall vote is to be expected, with multiple Chinese state media and TAO attempts to discredit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and undermine public support of their recall movement, the official said. This interference includes a smear campaign initiated this month by a pro-Beijing Hong Kong news outlet against
A week-long exhibition on modern Tibetan history and the Dalai Lama’s global advocacy opened yesterday in Taipei, featuring quotes and artworks highlighting human rights and China’s ongoing repression of Tibetans, Hong Kongers and Uighurs. The exhibition, the first organized by the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan (HRNTT), is titled “From the Snowy Ridges to the Ocean of Wisdom.” “It would be impossible for Tibetans inside Tibet to hold an exhibition like this — we can do it. because we live in a free and democratic country,” HRNTT secretary-general Tashi Tsering said. Tashi Tsering, a Taiwan-based Tibetan who has never
A first shipment of five tons of Taiwan tilapia was sent from Tainan to Singapore on Wednesday, following an order valued at NT$600,000 (US$20,500) placed with a company in the city. The products, including frozen whole fish and pre- cooked fish belly, were dispatched from Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, where a new aquatic processing and logistics center is under construction. At the launch, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) called the move a “breakthrough,” marking Taiwan’s expansion into the Singaporean tilapia market. Taiwan’s tilapia exports have traditionally focused on the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, Huang said, adding that the new foothold in