Greenpeace Taipei used a hot-air balloon to draw attention to marine conservation yesterday, in advance of a Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meeting.
“The hot-air balloon is here to tell people of the urgent need for changes in the way we manage Pacific fisheries at this year’s meeting in Guam,” said Yen Ning (顏寧), the group’s oceans campaigner.
Although the environmental -activist group was not able to release the balloon because of strong winds, the event still drew a lot of attention.
Photo: EPA
Yen accused the government of a lukewarm response to appeals from environmental groups for a more aggressive approach toward oceans conservation. Since Taiwan has one of the world’s largest and least regulated fishing fleets, she said, it should be held responsible for protecting the Pacific Commons, which are being overfished.
Yen also urged the Fisheries Agency to support the closing off of other ocean areas and the establishment of conservation zones to protect endangered fish species.
To build up awareness ahead of the meeting, she added, the organization’s ship, MV Esperanza, will arrive in Kaohsiung Harbor on March 23, three days before the talks begin.
Fisheries Agency Deputy -Director-General Tsay Tzu-yaw (蔡日耀) said on Friday that the agency was fully aware of the need for sustainable fishing and was prepared to discuss the issue with member countries “if the issue was brought up at the meeting.”
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