Fisheries Agency,Ministry of Agriculture

(1) Achievements in Conservation and Enforcement of MPAs

1. Dongsha Atoll National Park

Management Actions: The work on ecological conservation of the Dongsha National Park and its surrounding marine ecologies was planned and conducted by Dongsha National Park Administration, with efforts in restoring biodiversity.

Ecological resources:
(1) By 2011 there were 302 species of coral.
(2) Possesses the largest seagrass bed in Taiwan, having an area of over 1,185 hectares. Thick seagrass beds are excellent spawning, feeding and hiding places for fish, shrimps, crabs, and sea turtles. It was recorded that green turtles returned to the island for nesting after leaving for over 16 years, witnessing the success of conservation in Dongsha Atoll National Park.
(3) Concurrently, there are 679 fish species found and documented in Dongsha Atoll. In 2011, the smallest reef fish in the world, Trimmatom nanus, was found, and newly documented in Taiwan.

2. Kenting National Park

Achievements in Conservation: 1382 fish species and more than 200 reef coral species were documented.

Achievements in Resource Conservation, Management and Enforcement in Kenting National Park

The quantity of Illegal Net Gears Dismantled and Missions of At-Sea Surveillance

	2009 (Jun.-Dec.)	2010 (Jan.-Dec.)	2011 (Jan.-Dec.)	2012 (Jan.-May)	Total
Single layer net torn down (m.)	1,055	2,270	930	270	4,525
Triple layer net torn down (m.)	1,560	2,180	1,400	420	5,560
Number of Buoys Dismantled	38	10	29	8	85
Trips of Daytime Surveillance	36	34	113	29	212
Trips of Nighttime Surveillance	8	17	28	24	77

Statistics on Cracking Down in Violation of the National Park Act

	2009 (Jun.-Dec.)	2010 (Jan.-Dec.)	2011 (Jan.-Dec.)	2012 (Jan.-May)	Total
Angling or catching of fish (cases)	11	17	20	16	64
Poaching on coral (cases)	0	0	1	2	3

Achievements in Sea Cleaning

	2009 (Jun.-Dec.)	2010 (Jan.-Dec.)	2011 (Jan.-Dec.)	2012 (Jan.-May)	Total
Trash (Kg.)	1,305	1,215	1,770	730	5,020

3. Mianhua Islet and Huaping Islet Wildlife Refuges and Penghu Cat Islet Seabird Refuge

Mianhua Islet and Huaping Islet Wildlife Refuges: According to the conservation plan, they were divided into core areas and buffer areas. In 2011, 6 shore landings were carried out on the islets, putting 6 signboards. In addition, for the dissemination of the concept of conservation of ecology to the general public, 5 workshops were convened. A 5-minute video on the conservation areas was taken, for future work of propaganda.

Penghu Cat Islet Seabirds Refuge: In 2011, 100 surveillance trips were conducted, and 1 survey on the ecology of seabirds was made, to understand the status of seabird resources.

4. Penghu Columnar Basalt Natural Reserve and Xuhai Guanyinbi Natural Reserve

Penghu Columnar Basalt Natural Reserve: 100 surveillance trips were conducted. 2000 pamphlets on Penghu basalt were printed, for propaganda.

Xuhai Guanyinbi Natural Reserve: In 2011, 20 surveillance and cleaning trips were conducted. Application for 300 tourists daily is acceptable for environmental education touring under the narration of tour guides.

Source of information: Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan

5. Penghu National Designated Scenic Area

Achievements of Clean Environment Campaigns conducted by Penghu National Scenic Area Administration.

Year	2008	2009	2010	2011	Total
Number of campaigns	3	4	6	7	20 (jointly organized by 60 agencies & CSOs)
People motivated	605	665	1,290	1,768	4,328
Trash (Kg.)	43,900	32,560	565,375	280,910	922,745

6. Taitung County – Ludao Fisheries Resources Conservation Area

Conservation Measures:
(1) Anyone who carries out activities relating to tourism, recreation and fishing or undergoing exploitation in the conservation area, should not damage environment of the habitats of marine animals.
(2) Shilong and Chiakou Sub-areas have been designated as diving spots, and no fishing is permitted all round year. In other sub-areas during the time opened for fishing, catching of lobster measuring less than 20 cm. and abalone of shell length less than 5 cm. is prohibited, and using of scuba for harvesting any aquatic animals and plants is not permitted. In addition, in Guiwan Sub-area, no catching of teira batfish fish is permitted. Harvesting of any aquatic animals and plants by any means is not permitted, except during the time opened for fishing.

Management Actions: In 2007, the Coast Guard Administration, Executive Yuan established the Ludao Conservation Squad, to protect marine environmental ecology and fisheries resources in the surrounding sea, focusing on cracking down illegal coral harvesting and violation of the provisions of the Fisheries Act, thus improving the conservation of fisheries resources in Ludao.

Conservation Achievements:
(1) Documented 26 family and 119 species of fish.
(2) Enriched diversity, coverage and abundance of corals.
(3) Echinoderms consist mainly, Echinostrephus aciculatus, Diadema savignyi, Echinothrix calamaris, and Echinometra mathaei, and crinoids consist mainly, Comatulida, Comanthus parvicirrus, Comanthus bennetti, and Comatella nigra.
(4) Long-leg lobsters and hairy lobsters are crustaceans mostly found.
(5) In Chiakou 34 families and 103 species of mollusks were documented, and in Shilong, 18 families and 36 species, and in Guiwan 24 families and 44 species.
(6) 21 species of alga were documented.

7. Taitung – Fushan Fisheries Resources Conservation Area

Conservation Measures:
(1) When carrying out guided ecological tour in the conservation area, there should be no act that may damage the environment of habitats of marine animals.
(2) No harvesting by any means of any aquatic animals and plants in “Core areas” is permitted, except for the purpose of research authorized by the government of Taitung County.
(3) No harvesting by any means of any aquatic animals and plants in “Areas for sustainable use” is permitted, except for the purpose of research and other act of need authorized by the government of Taitung County.

Management Actions:
(1) In 1997 the formation of a voluntary surveillance squad began, with 30 members, comprising fishermen in Shanyuan, Fushan and Fugong, to perform random surveillance of the fishing activities of coastal and offshore fisheries.
(2) The work of surveillance and cracking down of violations is to be carried out by the Coastal Patrol Directorate General, Coast Guard Administration.

Conservation Achievements: 23 families and 49 species of fish were documented in intertidal terrains; 21 families and 67 species of fish with economic value were documented.

8. Pingtung County – Liuqiu Fisheries Resources Conservation Area

Conservation Measures: Harvesting by any means (including bare-handed), species under conservation in the conservation area is prohibited, except for academic research authorized by the competent authority.

Management Actions:
(1) Under the Outer Islands Construction Funds, budgets were allocated for employing personnel for carrying out the work of surveillance.
(2) The work of surveillance and cracking down of violations is to be carried out by the Coastal Patrol Directorate General and the Maritime Patrol Directorate General of the Coast Guard Administration.

Conservation Achievements:
(1) In Yufu Port, 27 families and 79 species of fish were documented, in Huaping Islet, 19 families and 68 species documented, in Haizikou, 17 families and 48 species, in Shanfu Port, 22 families and 71 species.
(2) Enriched diversity and abundance of corals.
(3) Crinoids and sea urchins are the echinoderms commonly found, and the sea urchins are mostly non-edible.
(4) 18 families and 66 species crustaceans documented.
(5) 43 families and 116 species of mollusks were recorded in Yufu Port.
(6) Sub-intertidal terrain is rich in alga.

9. Kaohsiung – Nansha (Spratly) Taiping Island Sea Turtles Nesting Refuge

Conservation Measures: No access for harvesting of protected species by any means or conducting any act damaging the habitat environment of aquatic animals is permitted.

Management Actions: Taiping Island is rich in coral reef ecological resources, and has some 300 species of coral. It is a typical aggregating place for coral reef fish species, where 62 families and 515 species of fish and 2 families and 5 species of seaweeds have been documented. The work of sea turtle conservation is an issue which has drawn international attention. According to field survey, the Nansha (Spratly) Islands are important nesting grounds for green turtles. They will come ashore to nest in April, once every 2 to 4 years. Female turtles lay an average of 100 eggs, while the hatching rate is only 50-70%. Any incidents in the course of their nesting, hatching or growing, will endanger their population. Due to the remote location of Taiping Island, Nansha (Spratly) Islands, stationed by only a small number of coast guard personnel, where anthropogenic disturbance is limited, excellent achievements in conservation are seen.

10. Changhua County – Mud Shrimp (Upogebia) Fisheries Resources Conservation Area

Conservation Measures:
(1) Entirely closed for fishing in “Core Areas”. No access for harvesting of protected species by any means or conducting any act damaging habitat environment of aquatic animals is permitted.
(2) Time opened for fishing in the “Sanctuaries” of the Conservation Areas will be announced accordingly depending on the achievements of the conservation. During the time opened for fishing, and catching of mud shrimps within the conservation area, fishermen should apply to the Changhua District Fishermen’s Association or the local the “mud shrimps management committee” for the quantity to be caught, while prohibiting catching female shrimps with carapace under 13 mm long, and male shrimps with carapace under 11 mm. When the catch of mud shrimp reaches 2 million pieces in number, the government of Changhua County will announce banning of catch totally.

Management Actions:
(1) The Changhua District Fishermen’s Association will present annually its monitoring plan, to monitor the ecology and population of mud shrimps, serving as basis for management.
(2) The Changhua District Fishermen’s Association formed a mud shrimp conservation team, to patrol the conservation area.
(3) The Coastal Patrol Directorate General of the Coast Guard Administration conducts the work of surveillance and cracking down violations.

Conservation Achievements: In recent years, the work of conservation of mud shrimps in Shengang has excellent achievements, including the improvement of habitat environment and population increase of mud shrimps, as well as, promoting fishermen to observe the rules of conservation of fisheries resources, and developing ocean education and ecology experiencing of the general public. It is planned to establish additional mud shrimps conservation areas in Wanggong, Fangyuan Township.

(2) Achievements in the Enforcement of the Coastal and Offshore Fisheries

Past and Present Management of the Coastal and Offshore Fisheries

What are coastal and offshore fisheries?

◎ The types of fisheries include: gill-net fishery, trawl fishery, longline fishery, hook and line fishery, troll fishery, pot fishery, ring net fishery, torch light net fishery, Danish seine fishery, mackerel purse seine fishery, larval fishery, flying fish egg fishery, precious coral fishery, set-net fishery, and fry fishery.
◎ More than 80% of Taiwan’s fishing boats operate in this area, among which about 20,000 are artisanal fishing boats.
◎ Annual production about 180-200 thousand tons.

Past Management

◎ There were large number of artisanal fishermen, and they usually did not have the concept of conservation.
◎ Control by means of licensing on the fishery, rather a static form of management.
◎ Encourage building of vessels and promotion of fishery productions.

Present Management

◎ Control the number of vessels.
◎ Using vessel voyage data recorder (VDR) to monitor the change of fishing grounds and fishing activities during fishing seasons, for establishing a dynamic management system.
◎ Requiring specific vessels to install vessel monitoring system (VMS) to monitor real-time fishing activities of vessels.
◎ Setting of closed fishing areas, closed fishing season, control total catch, filling in of daily catch logbooks, and establishment of port and at-sea inspection mechanism.

In view of international trend in conservation, and realizing the reduction of the global fisheries resources, the government has been actively promoting fisheries resources conservation and management measures, in providing chances for resources to recuperate.

Policy Measures

1. Control and reduce the number of vessels, and reduce the fishing time。

Vessel building restriction
As from 1967 the measure on building replacement of trawlers under 300 GRT was implemented, as from 1991 the measure of building replacement covered for all types of fishing vessels, except reefer carriers over 2000 GRT.

Vessel Buybacks
As from 1991 vessel buyback program was implemented progressively. To-date the government brought back a total of 3,258 fishing vessels (283,644 GRT) and 1,646 fishing rafts.

Encouragement in fishing layoffs
Fishing vessels/rafts are encouraged to undergo fishing layoffs in port, with provision of fishing layoff encouragement fee for those fishing at sea for 90 days and layoff in port for 90 days.

2. Building excellent environment of fishing grounds, for restocking fisheries resources

Deployment of artificial reefs
In order to improve the environment of fishing grounds, and restock fisheries resources, artificial reefs were deployed in 88 localities, with sinking of cement reefs, electricity wire pole reefs, steel and iron reefs, vessel reefs, naval ship reefs, etc.

Release of fish fry

Healthy fish seeds are produced in hatchery by means of the technology of artificial propagation, and released to the sea for restocking of fisheries resources.

Concurrently, approximately 10 million fries are released annually, with main species including threadfin fish, sand snapper, seabreams, snappers, groupers, etc.

Recreational fishery
◎ On 1 March 1988, the Ministry of Interior promulgated the Regulations on Sea Angling in Taiwan, allowing angling boats to carry citizens holding sea angling license to conduct at-sea leisure angling.
◎ On 26 May 1993, the Council of Agriculture promulgated the Regulations for Recreational Fishery, with the aim of guiding fishing vessels to undergo restructuring to recreational fishery, for carrying passengers to conduct such leisure activities as, sea angling, and watching of fishing operations, marine animals and ecologies.
◎ The kinds of recreational fishing activities permissible to be conducted by passengers carrying recreational fishery vessels:
(1) Sea angling: including pole and line, hand line, and troll.
(2) Marine eco-tour: such as whale watching.
(3) Watch fishing operations: such as, set-net, cage farming, squid fishing, etc.
(4) Sightseeing of coastal scenery.
◎ With nearly 20 years of development, recreational fishery has reached its maturity. By the end of 2011, there were 206 recreational fishing vessels in Taiwan, distributing in 58 fishing ports. Among these vessels, 38 were full-time, and 168 were part-time operating, annually carried between 800 thousand and 1 million trip/persons for marine leisure activities.

Passengers carried by recreational fishing vessels in recent 5 years

Year	Persons
2007	951,298
2008	1,131,032
2009	909,558
2010	828,038
2011	952,555

Development of whale watching in Taiwan

Year	No. of passengers
2007	235,000
2008	281,000
2009	259,000
2010	216,000
2011	291,000

Source: Taiwan Cetacean Society

Visions in the Development of Fishing Ports

The Program on Revival of Coastal Areas and Building of Fishery Infrastructure was planned, modifying traditional fishing ports to modernized fishing ports with the functions of fishery, leisure and sightseeing, and relaxing the policy of restrictions on coastal yachting. In recent years, in order to promote the goal of diverse uses of fishing ports, the Fisheries Agency has developed at-sea leisure and sightseeing activities and multiple uses of fishing ports, creating more values in the utilities of fishing ports.

(3) Conservation and Management of Stocks of Fish Species

Sustainable Utilization of Shark Resources

◎ Full utilization of sharks, a role in traditional dietary culture
Sharks, who are top predators in the marine ecosystem, protect the natural balance in the marine food chain. Taiwan has a long history in the utilization of shark resources. People have long been using the entire shark (full utilization). Using of shark’s meat for all kinds of delicacies has been a traditional dietary culture in Taiwan.

◎ Compliance with international conservation measures, initiating measures on “shark’s fin naturally attached to body” and “regulations on the import of shark’s fin”
For the sake of sustainable utilization of shark resources, in 2001 the Shark Resources Management Group was formed, and in 2006 the National Plan of Action on the Conservation of Shark Resources (NPOA-Sharks) was announced, and at the same time, transforming the conservation and management measures on sharks adopted by the respective regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) into domestic regulations. They include prohibiting fishing vessels conducting shark finning, prohibiting the catch of shark species with depleting population, and requiring the ratio of fin to carcass not to exceed 5% in the shark landed. In addition, as from January 2012, enforcement of the measure on “Shark’s Fin naturally Attached to Body” began, and on 1 June 2012, “Regulations on the Import of Shark’s Fin” became effective, requiring prior permission from the Fisheries Agency, all imports of shark’s fin, and only permissible imports of fins from sharks caught by vessels on the authorized vessel list of RFMOs and from countries not under sanction by RFMOs, as further contributions to shark resources conservation. In 2008, Taiwan announced the prohibition on catching, selling and retaining of whale sharks and their products.

◎ DNA testing technology, identifying various shark species from fins

In 2011 DNA testing technology was first used on sharks. Samples of fresh shark fins whose species could not be identified from external appearance were taken from various shark producing fish markets such as Su’ao, and fin products were also taken from the retail markets, to undergo testing. Identification of the belonging of the fin to the shark species was successful in the testing. It served as scientific evidence in promoting succeeding management measures.

The result of DNA tests of shark’s fins shows the composition of shark species (in the 89 samples tested, 55 are from the local fish markets, and 34 from the local consumer markets) most of them were blue shark (Prionace glauca), and none of them were great white shark (Carchardon carcharias), basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus), or whale shark (Rhincodon typus), which are included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Tender Giant guardian of the Ocean – Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)
“Whale shark ”commonly known as “Tofu Shark”, is a gentle animal, which filter feeds on marine plankton. Measuring approximately 20 m. long (about 6 stories tall), weighing 40 tons, it is the largest fish in the world.

It matures very slowly, slow in reaching sexual maturity (sexual maturity at about 30 years old), and has the characteristic of giving very few offspring and long lifecycle. Over-exploitation and overuse of the species will endanger its population. Whale shark is a fish species, protected globally. Taiwan began applying control of total catch of whale shark from 2002, and implemented management measures prohibiting catching, selling, retaining, importing and exporting whale shark and its products, for protecting whale shark resources.

In cooperation with academic institutes, for better understanding of the ecology of this species, research has been conducting by means of tagging and satellite based tracking, to collect data of its migration, as well as releasing those which were trapped in set-nets. To-date 341 whale sharks were placed with conventional tags, and 40 with archival tags, and succeeded in tracking the migratory routes of 9 whale sharks, through satellite-based transponders.

Swim with the Smarty of the Ocean – Saving Grounded Cetaceans
The Council of Agriculture has been putting continuous efforts in the work of conservation of cetaceans. Apart from conducting basic ecological surveys and scientific research, to protect these animals by law, it has promulgated that all cetaceans are protected wildlife in accordance with article 4 of the Wildlife Conservation Act.

◎ Establishment of “Cetaceans Grounding Rescue Network” in 1996
Taiwan Cetaceans Grounding Rescue Network was formed as a nationwide cetaceans rescue system, with the participation of conservationists from the local governments, Coast Guard Administration, Fire Departments, International Headquarters S.A.R. Taiwan, non-government conservation groups, academic institutes, and science museums, to provide timely rescue and treatments in case of grounding of cetaceans in Taiwan. As of May 2012, 749 rescue operations were carried out, involving groundings of 982 cetaceans.

See Picture

Educational Extensions on Cetaceans
Every year the work of cetaceans educational extension has been carrying out. They include training of volunteers on cetacean conservation, photo documentations on cetaceans, cetacean conservation carnival, medical workshop on cetaceans, etc. In 2000, for the first time the Ministry of Interior granted the provision of service certificate to cetacean conservation volunteers. Between 2003 and 2011, rescue and release of 10 cetaceans were successful. For the first time in Asia, satellite transponder was installed on 1 small sperm whale, for tracking of its migratory route, and the incident was placed as a news headline of that day.

Scientific Research
DNA samples of cetaceans were collected beginning from 2004, and research institutes were commissioned to establish DNA database for accumulation of information, enabling rapid identification of the species of cetaceans in rescuing grounded animals or arrest in illegal cetaceans cases. Focused on Taiwan’s previous cases of cetacean groundings, diagnostic analyses on disease were conducted, and standard operating procedure on health inspection of grounded cetaceans was established. Database on cetacean groundings was established, with some 700 sets of data on file. Ecological surveys and physiological researches on cetaceans found in the waters of Taiwan will continue.

Chinese white dolphin (Sousa chinensis)
The work on conservation of Chinese white dolphin has been an issue of concern in Taiwan. Since 2005, the Council of Agriculture has been conducting survey and research on Chinese white dolphin, including ecological distribution of population, reason of its vulnerability. It was found that the range distribution of its population covers areas between Lungfang Port in Miaoli County and northern part of Jiangjun District in Tainan City, with sighting of fewer than 90 animals. Initial planning of important habitat for Chinese white dolphin includes an area of 763 square kilometers with Lungfang Port in Miaoli County as its northern boundary, Sandingzhou Lighthouse off Chiayi County as its southern boundary, its western boundary bounded by a line 103 nautical miles seaward from coast, but depending on the range of activities of the animals, and its eastern boundary bounded by a line 50 meters seaward from coast, including main estuaries of rivers.

◎ Return to Home of Ocean – Rescue and Conservation of Sea Turtles

Concurrently there are 2 families and 7 species of sea turtles in the world. They distribute mostly in the tropical and temperate waters, vastly extending all oceans of the world, including the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. Green turtle, hawksbill sea turtle, olive Ridley turtle, loggerhead turtle, and leatherback turtle, among which green turtle is the most commonly seen sea turtle in the waters around Taiwan.

In the early days, green turtles are widely distributed along the eastern coast of Taiwan, Su’ao, Nanfang’ao, southern part of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Liuqiu, and the Dongsha Islands and Taiping Island in the Nansha Islands. In the recent decades, due to over-development of beaches, digging of turtle eggs by coastal inhabitants, incidental catch in trawl and gill-net fishing, the population of green turtle has drastically declined, and few beaches on Wang’an in Penghu County and Orchid Island in Taitung County are the remaining spots, where green turtles can be seen every summer returning from the sea for nesting.

In 1989, the Council of Agriculture announced all sea turtles to be endangered species, according to the Wildlife Conservation Act, and sea turtles were under strict protection, and should not be disturbed, abused, hunted, killed, traded, displayed, exhibited, imported and exported, retained or raised. According to that Act, the government of Penghu County announced in 1996, that Wang’an Island to be Green Turtle Nesting Refuge, every 1 May to 31 October during nesting season of green turtle nighttime control will be exercised to protect safe nesting of green turtles and safe returning of their juveniles to the sea.

Though sea turtles can be raised, artificial propagation is still not possible, and in addition, their raising requires large space of seawater. Concurrently only injured turtles were placed in temporary shelters for rescue and recovery, and they were returned to sea in healthy condition. Between 1997 and 2011, some 300 sea turtles were rescued and housed, and 60% were successfully treated and returned to the open sea.

Source: Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan

(4) Enforcement Achievements in the Far Sea Fisheries

Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)

What is VMS?
VMS which is the abbreviation for vessel monitoring system, is a system that will enable monitoring of the fishing activities of fishing vessels, through which their position information transmitted via satellite to a land-base monitoring center, are monitored in a near real-time basis, without restrictions of geographic environment.

Why is it necessary to install VMS?
1. Monitoring the positions of fishing vessels, for provision to scientists for stock assessments.
2. In consistent with the rules of international organizations or the need of those countries which whom vessels have access fishing agreement, to enable fishing activities to be conducted in a transparent manner.
3. Enabling immediate getting hold of the vessel positions for rescue in case of urgent need.

Observers on Duty
1. To realize the actual fishing operations of fishing vessels, respective RFMOs have adopted resolutions requiring fishing vessels of their members to implement observer programs with a certain coverage. Concurrently, purse seine fishing vessels operating in the Pacific Ocean have 100% observer coverage, and longline fishing vessels operating in the three oceans of the world have observer coverage of over 5%.
2. Observers in the far seas fisheries are the vanguard in Taiwan’s far seas fisheries management. In order to accomplish their duties, they have to endure the life on board which can only be experienced in person rather than from words.

3. Achievements on Observers Missions in the Far Seas Fisheries in