Taiwan and Canada have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the use of a “dark vessel detection” system to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, the two governments said yesterday.
The pact was signed in Taipei by outgoing Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) and Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Executive Director Jim Nickel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei said, without specifying when the memorandum was signed.
The trade office represents Canadian interests in Taiwan in the absence of official ties.
Photo: Screen grab from the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei’s Facebook page
The agreement would facilitate bilateral cooperation against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and promote prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, the ministry said, while the office added in a Facebook post that the MOU would give the Coast Guard Administration access to Canada’s dark vessel detection system.
The C$7 million system (US$5.1 million) uses satellite imagery and analytics to identify and track vessels that operate illegally by concealing their location or intentions, a Canadian government statement from Feb. 24, 2021, said.
The program aims to provide advanced satellite data and analysis to small island nations and coastal states affected by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, which can undermine local economies, food security and fish stocks.
Canada signed a similar agreement with the Philippines in 2023 to give it access to the system.
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