Fishermen in Hualien County are angry about a report issued by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) last weekend that advised people to eat less deep-sea fish to avoid too much mercury accumulating in their bodies.
Wang Min-chang (王銘章), secretary-general of the Hualien Fishermen's Association, said yesterday that the report had caused fish prices to plummet and that the hardest-hit were large deep-sea fish, such as marlin.
He said that the report had caused the fish market to stagnate, resulting in huge losses to fishermen who rely on selling their catches for a living, because even at such low prices, consumers were reluctant to buy.
Wang urged the administration to provide precise figures and other details about the mercury levels in large deep-sea fish, or the fishermen in Hualien County will not rule out a protest demonstration against the administration.
In Taipei, an EPA spokesman told news media that officials had tried to communicate with fishermen's representatives after learning of the situation, and had obtained their understanding.
The spokesman said that the report was not targeted at deep-sea fish, but was mainly intended to call people's attention to the problem of mercury pollution.
The EPA report -- issued last Sunday after a one-year study based on 1,066 samples -- showed that Taiwanese had an average mercury level of 2.4 milligrams per kilogram in their hair, slightly higher than people in Japan and the US.
According to the report, Hualien County leads the 22 counties and cities of Taiwan with the average mercury content in the hair of its residents measured at 3.09 milligrams per kilogram.
It also said that the average mercury level in the hair of people who habitually eat large deep-sea fish was six times that of those who do not eat such fish.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
RSS