An online video showing a man catching a giant trevally fish in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) has sparked debate between divers and recreational fishermen.
A video posted on YouTube by a user identified as Jason Liu on Saturday shows a recreational fisherman pulling a giant trevally out of the water in Houbihu (後壁湖) harbor, where rod fishing is prohibited, while the people around him comment on the strength of the fish.
Diver and conservationist Wu Sung-hung (吳松鴻) yesterday said the people shown in the video have damaged Hengchun’s marine ecology, which has attracted 10,000 divers, generated NT$25 million (US$824,103) in business revenue and created 150 diving coach jobs over the past two years.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
The Kenting National Park Office should do more to protect the waters off Hengchun and local divers should be vigilant, Wu said.
A recreational fisherman, known as A-ming (阿明), said recreational fishing has been unfairly subjected to public judgement as a result of the incident, adding that although it is forbidden to fish in the harbor, the authorities failed to make the prohibition clear and have been reluctant to fine offenders.
Giant trevallies are not endangered and have no significant value beyond their physical strength that makes them challenging to catch with a fishing rod, A-ming said, adding that the fish was easy to catch, because it was used to being fed by humans.
Pingtung’s Director of Marine and Fisheries Management Wu Hsien-chun (吳憲昌) said rod fishing is forbidden in the Houbihu area according to Article 18 of the Fishing Port Act (漁港法) and offenders may face a fine of between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000.
While exceptions can be made by the local government proclaiming a fishing zone, no such zones have been declared for Houbihu, he said, adding that the people shown in the video will be identified and punished.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
RSS