By the end of the year, 464,600 hectares of coast and sea are to be declared traditional sea zones for Aborigines, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Sufin Siluko said on Tuesday.
This is a historic moment in which traditional Aboriginal sea zones are recognized by the Republic of China, he said.
The change, based on the Ministry of the Interior’s Regulations for the Use and Management of Non-urban Land (非都市土地使用管制規則), would not affect fixed items such as fishing nets that are already in place, Sufin said.
The zones are just the beginning, and further amendments or new bills would be required to further protect usage rights, he said.
While the demarcation of the zones is a gesture enforcing Aborigines’ rights to non-urban land, Sufin said that Aborigines are not excluding collaboration with Han people to maximize the benefits.
The traditional sea zones include the entire Taitung County coast, extending 3 nautical miles (5.6km) out to sea, and all of the Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) coast, extending 6 nautical miles out to sea, Sufin said.
The two areas, which cover a total of 3,522km2, would be approved by the Construction and Planning Agency by the end of the month, he said.
In Hualien County, 671km2 of coast and sea zones would be approved in November, and in Pingtung County, 453km2 would be approved by December, he said.
The Council of Indigenous Peoples in 2016 applied for the sites to be declared traditional Aboriginal sea zones, Sufin added.
He said that Aborigines would still have to observe fishing laws and the establishment of the zones would not affect the use of the areas by non-Aborigines.
However, aside from certain activities requiring agencies or government units to solicit approval from the council, Aborigines would not have exclusive rights or ownership to the coastal areas and sea zones, Sufin said.
Use of the zones requiring council approval includes fishing, consumption of non-biological resources, marine tourism, port or harbor construction, construction projects, marine science observations, disposal of waste and emissions detrimental to the environment, military exercises and search and rescue efforts, as well as use for traditional Aboriginal purposes.
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