As of last month, the nation’s coast guard had expelled 652 Chinese fishing boats, 20 of which were detained, the Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) yesterday told the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has been dispatching frigates to patrol the nation’s exclusive economic zones, OAC Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said in a briefing to lawmakers.
“Chinese fishing boats often illegally cross over the Taiwan Strait to our restricted waters to exploit fishing resources. From January to September, we expelled 652 fishing boats and detained 20 of them. They were fined a total of NT$13.75 million (US$423,990) for contravening the Coast Guard Act (海岸巡防法),” Kuan said.
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Meanwhile, coast guards captured 71 smugglers in the past nine months, 54 of whom were Vietnamese, she said, adding that the CGA would work with the National Police Agency and National Immigration Agency to enhance its intelligence-gathering and counter-smuggling capabilities.
To prevent Chinese sand dredgers from illegally mining sand in Taiwan’s territorial waters, the CGA has used radar systems and increased patrolling frequency to monitor changes in sea areas around Taiwan, Kuan said.
“We are regularly planning on special operations to crack down sand dredgers. As of last month, seven had been expelled by the coast guard,” she said.
OAC Deputy Minister and CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told lawmakers that the number of Chinese sand-dredging vessels that were expelled by the coast guard decreased, as the government intensified efforts to clamp down on illegal sand-mining and toughened sanctions against such offenses.
The administration is planning to expand the use of technology to crack down on illegal sand-mining, Chou said.
Frigates used by the CGA are part of the nation’s indigenous defense vessel building program, Kuan said, adding that the administration is to receive 22 locally built ships this year.
The administration has received one 600-tonne frigate, two 100-tonne patrol boats and six 35-tonne patrol boats.
The council would continue collaborating with non-governmental organizations to preserve marine ecosystems, Kuan said, mentioning Taiwanese humpback dolphins as an example.
The dolphins, which were first discovered along the west coast of Taiwan in 2002, frequently appear in the eastern Taiwan Strait.
“The number of Taiwanese humpback dolphins has been growing, and we are scheduled to release a film on the conservation of cetaceans at the end of this month,” she said.
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