A new regulation requiring fishing management departments and research laboratories to report the capture of great white sharks, basking sharks or megamouth sharks within 24 hours after returning to land after will take effect on Monday next week, the Fisheries Agency announced yesterday.
The agency said the new regulation will require fishermen to report all catches of the three shark species and keep the sharks’ bodies for at least 24 hours before making use of them, so that academic units can collect samples and have priority in purchasing body parts to conduct research.
The aim of the regulation is to enable scientists to gather more data to evaluate the standing of sharks as fishing resources.
The agency said once the regulation is implemented, fishermen who do not report their catch will face a fine of between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000.
There were five white sharks, one basking shark and three megamouth sharks reported caught between 1994 and 2009 by Taiwanese fishing crews.
However, last year saw four white sharks and one megamouth shark catches reported, so more research is needed to confirm whether the increased amount was caused by climate change, a change in the Kurosiro Current, or other reasons, the agency said.
In November last year, several environmental groups held a press conference urging the government to ban fishing of the three species, but the agency said that because there was insufficient data on the population of these species in the waters surrounding Taiwan, it is difficult to determine whether such measures are necessary.
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
A fourth public debate was held today about restarting the recently decommissioned Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, ahead of a referendum on the controversial issue to be held in less than two weeks. A referendum on Aug. 23 is to ask voters if they agree that “the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should continue operations upon approval by the competent authority and confirmation that there are no safety concerns.” Anyone over 18 years of age can vote in the referendum. The vote comes just three months after its final reactor shut down, officially making Taiwan nuclear-free. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) represented
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
RSS