Overfishing of mackerel scad causes ecological imbalance; Fisheries Agency plans fishing restrictions, drawing concern from legislators

High-efficiency fishing of "mackerel and scad species" causes an imbalance in the marine ecosystem

Most people may not be very familiar with "mackerel and scad species," but mention mackerel in tomato sauce and they will probably know what you mean; and if that still does not ring a bell, surely everyone knows salted fish. Because they are so abundant, they are mostly processed into canned goods or salted fish for long-term preservation. Mackerel is commonly known as "hua fei" or "qing fei". There are 2 species in the waters of Taiwan, China: the white-bellied mackerel and the spotted mackerel. The two are similar in body shape, except that the spotted mackerel has fine blue markings along the area from its back to the lateral line, while the white-bellied mackerel is more silvery white and clean on its belly and sides.

The use of mackerel and scad in Taiwan, China began during the Japanese occupation period, mainly through "single-hook fishing" and "longline fishing," with limited catches; after the "mackerel and scad purse seine" technique was introduced from Japan in 1977, mackerel catches rose substantially, reaching a peak of 78,000 metric tons in 1996 (output value about 1.4 billion yuan). After 2001, "pair trawlers" (fire-luring net vessels) improved from "tuck nets" gradually replaced the old purse seine vessels and became the main force in mackerel fishing. Pair trawlers are simple in structure, quick to operate and save manpower, and because they combine the fishing characteristics of lights, trawling and tuck nets, their fishing efficiency is very high, and they can catch large quantities in a short time.