The commissioner for Pingtung County has tried to allay fears of radiation-tainted tuna by promising to put this year’s catch through radiation scans before it goes on the market.
Known for its ocean fishing industry, Pingtung County will begin its annual bluefin tuna season next month, but county residents have worried that radiation leaks from Japan have spread to Taiwan’s fishing grounds.
Pingtung County Commissioner Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻) assured the public at a press conference on Wednesday that radiation would not affect the tuna because Pingtung’s vessels catch fish that arrive in Taiwan first before heading north to Japan.
Photo: Chen Tsan-kun, Taipei Times
“Bluefin tuna from the northern Pacific Ocean travel south from Canada to Guam first, then to the Philippines and Taiwan before turning north to Japan,” he said.
“Only those that are not caught by our fishing boats operating between Taiwan and the Philippines would have a chance to travel near Japan,” Tsao said.
As a result, he believes his fishing boats will not catch any tainted tuna this year.
Nevertheless, Tsao said he wanted to alleviate public fears and would ask the Atomic Energy Council to dispatch its inspectors to the county to conduct radiation checks on the tuna catch.
At the press conference, Tsao also announced the county government would launch a safety drill aimed at preparing the county for multiple disasters. The drill will take place on April 18 and April 19.
He said that Pingtung, where the Ma-anshan (馬鞍山) Nuclear Power Plant is located, does not have enough experience in handling a nuclear crisis such as the one Japan currently faces.
TECH PROGRAM: A US official said that an important part of the delegation’s trip would be to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co executives The US is to send officials in charge of chip development to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea to promote cooperation in the global semiconductor supply chain, the US Department of Commerce said on Tuesday. Chips Program Office Director Michael Schmidt announced the visit, which marks the first time officials from the office are to visit the three nations since it was set up in September last year. “As semiconductors and technologies continue to evolve, the United States will keep working with allies and partners to develop coordinated strategies to ensure that malign actors cannot use the latest technologies to undermine our collective
Seven senior faculty members, including the principal, of a high school in Taichung were temporarily suspended from their jobs on Friday, pending an investigation by the Taichung Education Bureau into alleged bullying and abuse that led to the suicide of a student last month. The city’s education officials were too slow to suspend those involved, the student’s father told a news conference on Wednesday, at which Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) and members of the Humanistic Education Foundation were also present. The boy had been a good student and a high achiever during elementary and junior-high, and had
Taiwan does not exclude the possibility of having formal diplomatic relations with counties that also have formal ties with China, regardless of Beijing’s stance, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said on Sunday. There was speculation in 2012 that Honduras was attempting to have simultaneous diplomatic relations with Taiwan and China, an idea that then-minister of foreign affairs David Lin (林永樂) rejected. Honduras severed formal ties with Taiwan on Sunday morning after establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing. President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration has taken a more practical approach to relations with like-minded countries since assuming government in 2016. Previous administrations took the
ORIGIN UNKNOWN: The Leofoo Village Theme Park and Taipei Zoo have accounted for their baboons, as authorities continue a 12-day capture attempt Authorities in Taoyuan are searching for a non-native baboon, possibly of the chacma species, that has been spotted several times in the city’s Pingjhen District (平鎮) over the past 12 days, and was most recently seen in coastal Sinwu District (新屋). The baboon was first spotted near a local factory on March 10 in central Taoyuan, Jhensing Borough Warden Huang Chih-chieh (黃志杰) said. Huang said he requested the Leofoo Village Theme Park’s help after a second sighting on Saturday. In other sightings, the baboon raided fruit and vegetable gardens on private property, and has evaded one capture attempt via a tranquilizer dart. Media reported
RSS