Taiwan, China: Recreational fishing boats and berthing harbors opened up in some areas; Gongguan Fishing Harbor on Green Island becomes a recreational fishery hotspot
Summer is almost here, and people's opportunities to take part in water recreation activities are increasing along with it. Activities such as sea fishing, whale watching, and boat-based snorkeling all fall under the category of "recreational fishery" managed by the Fisheries Agency. On the 8th, the Fisheries Agency announced a draft amendment to Schedule 1 of Article 7 of the "Regulations Governing Recreational Fishery," adjusting the recreational fishing boat quotas and berthing harbors for Yilan County, Tainan City, and Taitung County. As early as the second half of the year, people will be able to take fishing rafts on tours of the lagoon at Qingshan Fishing Harbor in Tainan, and Gongguan Fishing Harbor on Green Island is expected to become a new hotspot for recreational fishery tourism.
The content of this amendment is as follows: at Fenniaolin Fishing Harbor in Yilan County, the number of vessels of 20 tons or more that also operate recreational fishery is set at 2; at Qingshan Fishing Harbor in Tainan City, there is no limit on the number of fishing rafts and sampans that also operate recreational fishery; and the Taitung County Government has added Gongguan Fishing Harbor as a harbor for exclusive (or concurrent) operation, and adjusted the number of concurrently operating vessels under 20 tons at Green Island Fishing Harbor to 25.
Chen Wen-tai, section chief of the Fisheries Section of the Agriculture Department of the Taitung County Government, explained that in order to transform underutilized fishing harbors and ease the usage density of Green Island Fishing Harbor (Nanliao Fishing Harbor), Gongguan Fishing Harbor has been specially added this year as a berthing harbor for recreational fishing boats, and that harbor has no limit on the registration quota for vessels concurrently operating recreational fishery. At present, Green Island Fishing Harbor, in addition to transport boats and fishing boats, also has recreational fishing boats entering and leaving the harbor area. "It is really too crowded; excessive saturation will also affect the service quality of recreational fishing boats." Therefore, the aim is to spread out the operating areas of recreational fishing boats and allow the underutilized Gongguan Fishing Harbor to be transformed into a harbor for leisure use.
In addition, besides adding Gongguan Fishing Harbor, the quota for vessels concurrently operating recreational fishery at Green Island Fishing Harbor will also be increased from the current 15 to 25. Chen Wen-tai stated that in the past, the open registration quotas were always in short supply, and the county government had also found that some small passenger boats were engaging in activities regulated under recreational fishery rules. It is hoped that by increasing the quota, operators with demand can avoid operating in a gray area. As early as June, the Taitung County Government will issue a document to the fishermen's association to open registration for fishing boats.
Shih Chun-yi, director of the Fisheries Administration Division of the Fisheries Agency, stated that county and city governments adjust the number of fishing boats according to the demand for recreational fishery in their areas and the number of docks, after which the Fisheries Agency evaluates and announces them. The extent of annual increases and decreases varies. For example, in recent years, demand for whale watching in Toucheng, Yilan, and sea fishing in New Taipei City has been relatively high, so the number of fishing boats there is relatively large. If demand in other places is not high, the number of boats is revised downward to facilitate management.