First wave of penalties for illegal fishing announced, Fisheries Agency has issued fines totaling 18.2 million yuan
To achieve sustainable fishery operations and lift the yellow card as soon as possible, the amendments to the "Three Distant Water Fisheries Acts" were passed last year, and the Fisheries Agency also held a press conference today to publicly announce the results of the first wave of penalties for violations; according to fishery authorities, as of today, a total of 24 cases have been penalized, with fines amounting to 18.2 million yuan, and one fishing vessel even had its hull confiscated because it failed to return to port by the deadline. To ensure that illegal fishing practices no longer occur, the competent authority, the Council of Agriculture, also urged fishermen to comply with the law so that the industry and resources can be sustainable.
Regarding this round of penalties, Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Chen Chi-chung pointed out that our country has been listed on the EU yellow card for one year and ten months. In order to achieve the goal of lifting the yellow card in October this year, while also improving the industry's subsequent development, efforts have been made one by one in accordance with the four major areas of recommendations given by the EU. Among them, distant water fisheries-related regulations have been amended, fishery cooperation has been completed with 21 countries, and in the "improvement of monitoring systems, control and surveillance systems" section, a 24-hour fishing vessel monitoring center has been established; therefore, Chen emphasized that the current stage is the enforcement of the law, and penalties will be imposed according to law for existing violations.
Ho Shih-chieh: One less document in the fish landing forecast brings a million-yuan fine, devastating fishermen's livelihoods
As for the government's vigorous law enforcement, the industry is quite dismissive. Ho Shih-chieh, secretary-general of the Taiwan Tuna Longline Association, pointed out that recently the association has received many complaints, many of them from frontline fishermen who were one day late in submitting their fish landing forecasts, or who submitted one less document. Going to sea for three or four months earns only two hundred thousand yuan or so, yet a single fine can reach a million. For example, in recent years, a fishing vessel captain was killed for several years, and his father, over seventy years old, had to go to sea again to make a living and support the family, but because the fish landing forecast was submitted one day late, he was fined 1.3 million yuan by the Fisheries Agency.
Industry operators point out that officials should focus on "combating crime" and provide administrative guidance to fishermen
Ho Shih-chieh also emphasized that the government's intention is to combat crime, but the situation of these fishermen is closer to a "credit card payment not made on time," yet they are heavily fined over a million yuan at once. How are they supposed to make a living? A better approach should be to visit and assess the reason for the violation before imposing a fine, and under the premise that it can be proven that profits have not abnormally increased, give them a chance to supplement documents, or even provide administrative guidance to teach fishermen how to adapt to regulatory changes, rather than treating them all as criminals, because institutional reforms are all achievements bought with the blood and tears of the fishing industry.
Facing the industry's petitions, Chen Chi-chung pointed out that enforcement according to law is the norm. Before a fishing vessel enters port, it must first select the relevant information to make a fish landing declaration, and if there is a violation, a fine will be imposed, but the system is not set in stone. If there is relevant information, fishermen can file an administrative appeal to seek their own justice.
Council of Agriculture: If fish landing declarations are not accurate, all statistical data will be incorrect
Regarding the controversy caused by the new law between the two sides, Chen also emphasized, "If fish landing declarations are not done accurately, all fishery statistical data will be incorrect. This will not only make it impossible to account to domestic and international parties, but also make it impossible to lift the yellow card as soon as possible, and everyone's rights and interests will be harmed." In addition, he also stated that the Council of Agriculture will absolutely take care of fishermen, including considering relevant social welfare, and only hopes that under the sustainable development of distant water fisheries, all fishermen and related groups can comply with the regulations.