Legislators yesterday proposed increasing penalties for poaching to a maximum seven-year prison sentence and declaring waters off Green Island (綠島) a no-fishing zone to protect the islands’ marine environment after the illegal taking on Saturday of an endangered species.
A rare humphead wrasse — one of seven known off the coast of Green Island — was caught by a local bed-and-breakfast owner, sparking public outrage and calls for marine conservation.
Democratic Progressive Party legislators Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and Yeh Yi-chin (葉宜津) called a news conference to announce they would propose draft amendments to the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), to increase the maximum punishment for poaching from a five-year prison sentence and NT$1 million (US$30,622) fine to a seven-year prison term and a NT$3 million fine.
They also asked the government to establish marine protected areas and conduct a census of endangered and protected species.
Chen said fish and corals are the most important resource of the tourism-dependent Green Island, but the island would lose visitors if illegal fishing and overfishing destroys its marine ecology.
Showing a photograph of himself with a humphead wrasse taken in Palau, Chen, who is an amateur diver, said Palau has a tourism dependent economy and the country attaches great importance to its marine conservation.
“Palau estimates that a single devil fish can generate about US$1 million in tourism, but Taiwanese fishermen sell the fish for NT$50 per 600g,” Yeh said.
“Taiwan does not have an ocean culture or a tourism culture. What we have is a seafood culture,” Yeh added.
While Taiwan’s neighbors have endeavored to preserve marine resources and build a tourism industry that can create US$400 per diver per day, Taiwan is still trying to attract Chinese tourists with seafood that can generate only US$70 per visitor per day, Yeh said.
Yeh said that she would call on the Tourism Bureau to make Green Island a no-fishing zone.
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