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Ocean forum calls for cooperation

International cooperation and sharing data are necessary to manage ocean and sea resources. This was the message of a two-day international symposium on marine affairs that concluded yesterday in Taipei.

Ni I-hsun (倪怡訓), the dean of the College of Ocean Science and Resource at National Taiwan Ocean University, told the symposium that satellite imaging was key to achieving the goal of sustainable fishing.

The satellites of different countries provide data on different parts of the world, he said. When combined, they can give us a complete picture and help fishermen locate appropriate fishing grounds.

"If we help our fellow countries with technical assistance on satellite technology instead of just funding, we will be helping them for generations to come," he said. "Our own fishing industry will also benefit from closer cooperation with other nations, near whose waters Taiwanese vessels may fish."

"Almost sixty percent of the fish we catch are caught in distant waters," he said. "There is no other country in the world with as many distant water fisheries proportionally than Taiwan."

More international cooperation would lead to smoother negotiations for fishing licenses and help avoid potential conflicts involving illegal fishing by Taiwanese vessels, he said.

In addition, international cooperation is necessary for scientific research, Liu Cho-teng (劉卓騰) said.

"Both the Ocean Models and Information Systems for the APEC Region (OMISAR) and the Satellite Application for Knowledge-based Economy (SAKE) projects were sponsored by Taiwan's Environmental Protection Agency," Liu said. "But all participating APEC countries, including China, shared their real-time data so that we could test our models."

Various other issues pertaining to the oceans and affecting Taiwan were discussed at the symposium. A roster of experts from Taiwan and across the globe discussed Taiwan's sizable fishing fleet, fragile coastline and coastal cities vulnerable to ocean level changes and maritime boundary disputes, symposium participants said.

Robert Kay, Director of Coastal Zone Management, an Australian company, told the symposium that Taiwan "may be particularly at risk" from global warming because of its densely populated coastal zone packed with valuable infrastructure.

International communication and collaboration is important for another reason -- avoiding misunderstandings, Ni said.

"Many conservation activists abroad were up in arms about Taiwan's shark fin trade because they thought we only took the fin," he said. "But at an international conference attended by both fishermen and conservationists, we were able to show them that no part of the shark is wasted."

Ni said that fishing boats entering the nation's ports with fins must also carry shark carcasses.

Although the fin fetches the handsomest price, the meat, skin and innards are also sold.
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