Marine conservationists on Monday called for the establishment of a “ministry of ocean management” to protect fishery resources which they said are on the brink of depletion, ahead of World Ocean Day today.
A coalition of environmental groups called for a specific authority to manage fishing activities and marine conservation amid a series of pollution and poaching incidents.
Marine conservation organization Oceanus Honors Gaia chief executive Lin Ai-lung (林愛龍) said that because of the lack of leadership in marine affairs, the nation has seen an increase in environmental incidents and illegal fishing activities, including two oil spills caused by grounded ships off New Taipei City and Penghu County, a “yellow card” given by the EU over Taiwan’s failure to enforce fishing laws, as well as poaching of marine animals by Taiwanese and Chinese alike.
“Taiwan’s marine conservation is a headless system, because the conservation and management responsibility is distributed across 22 government units. For example, the Environmental Protection Administration does not have a vessel to deal with ocean pollution, while the Coast Guard Administration, which has specialized ships, is not responsible for handling pollution,” Lin said.
While coral and threatened marine species have been illegally harvested in great quantities, none of the government agencies have placed marine conservation at the center of their operations, so the establishment of a “ministry of ocean management” is necessary, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Man-li (陳曼麗) said.
A ban on destructive fishing methods was also called for to curb overfishing.
Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation office manager Lai Wei-jen (賴威任) said an estimated 2,000 to 10,000 dolphins and whales die every year as a result of being caught in fishing gear and nets, while fish cannot be found at some healthy coral reefs due to overfishing.
Scientific studies have estimated that there will be no wild fish left by 2048 if global fishing trends continue at the current pace, Academia Sinica ichthyologist Shao Kwang-tsao (邵廣昭) said.
“Taiwan’s total fish catch has diminished from 1.35 million tonnes in 1990 to 1.1 million tonnes today. The difference may appear slight, but fishermen have to spend more effort to catch fish, while the government has to spend more to subsidize the fishing industry. Fish caught today are also smaller, and many are coarse fish that are not good for consumption and have little economic value,” Shao said.
“Ocean sunfish is internationally identified as a threatened species, but one can find them in seafood restaurants in Taiwan. That says much about the nation’s conservation,” Shao said.
Establishing a sustainable fishing industry and consumer culture is necessary in addition to a competent authority over marine management, he said.
The groups launched an online signature campaign calling for the establishment of a “ministry of ocean management,” and they have collected more than 2,000 signatures in a week, they said.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
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UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
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