The fishing crew of a Taiwanese tuna longliner was given an eight-month license suspension and a fine of NT$150,000 by the Council of Agriculture’s Fisheries Agency for contravening shark fin harvest laws in international waters near Papua New Guinea last month, with environmentalists describing the punishment as too lenient.
The catch of Shuen De Ching (順德慶) No. 888 included 136 yellowfin tuna, 283 bigeye tuna, 58 albacore, 22 blue marlin, five unidentified sharks and 77 fish of other species, which was significantly different from what was recorded on the boat’s fishing log, the agency said.
The agency said that the crew violated shark finning regulations, as 125 shark fins were discovered onboard the vessel with only five shark carcases found.
Test results of the fins showed that silky shark, an endangered and protected species, was among the catch, the agency said.
Saying the maximum punishment for illegal fishing stipulated in the Fisheries Act (漁業法) is a one-year license withdrawal, Taiwan Greenpeace oceans campaigner Yen Ning (顏寧) questioned how the eight-month penalty was determined.
She said the nation’s punishment for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is disproportionate to the potential gains through illegal operations.
The EU, Japan and South Korea can fine fishing crews found to have violated fishing regulations five times the value of the illegal catch, she said.
Fisheries Agency Deputy Director Huang Hung-yan (黃鴻燕) said the agency imposed a two-month suspension for the discrepancy between the fishing log and actual catch, a three-month suspension for shark finning, and another three-month suspension for capturing a prohibited species.
Saying that the NT$150,000 fine is too small, Huang added that it is the maximum fine according to the law and that the eight-month suspension could cost the crew millions of New Taiwan dollars or even bankrupt them.
However, he said that the agency is considering amending the Fisheries Act to raise the fine limit after the European Commission earlier this month issued a “yellow card” to Taiwan for noncompliance with Regional Fisheries Management Organisation obligations.
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