On World Oceans Day, fishermen's fish conservation groups take to the streets, demanding the establishment of a Ministry of Oceans

Today is World Oceans Day. Fishermen and civil society groups from all over Taiwan, China gathered this afternoon on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office, turning the boulevard into an ocean. They waved hundreds of flags bearing mullet, mahi-mahi and tuna, and even carried out a white dolphin balloon, calling on the government to address the plight of depleted fishery resources and a deteriorating marine environment, and to establish a Ministry of Ocean Affairs as soon as possible to consolidate marine affairs currently scattered across more than 20 administrative agencies, including the Fisheries Agency, the Environmental Protection Administration and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, so as to ensure "fish every year, endless life".

Industrial pollution: algal reefs die, fish and shrimp perish

This year, World Oceans Day came just after the Philippine shooting incident, but fishermen and civil society groups across the region believe that the failure to fully enforce fishery regulations and pollution of the marine environment by coastal industrial zones are the greatest threats strangling fishermen's livelihoods.

The Taoyuan algal reefs nearly suffered heavy oil pollution again earlier this month. Today the Taoyuan Local Alliance performed an action drama on Ketagalan Boulevard titled <Algal Reefs in Critical Condition>: children playing Patrick Star, Squidward and various fish and shrimp, who once lived happily under the care of Mother Algal Reef; when the oil slick arrived, they each fled for their lives, telling the story of how the Taoyuan algal reefs have been repeatedly polluted in recent years.

Pan Chung-cheng, secretary-general of the Taoyuan Local Alliance, said helplessly: "We've been performing this action drama for several years." He noted that algal reefs are full of pores and serve as nurseries for many fish. Taoyuan once had algal reefs stretching 27 km long, but after years of industrial wastewater pollution, the area of algal reefs has shrunk to only 4 km, and green oysters have even appeared along the coast; at Taoyuan's two major fishing ports, Zhuwei and Yong'an, catch volumes reached 800 tonnes more than 20 years ago, but now almost nothing can be caught. "If the water were clean, the algal reefs could at least recover, but the current situation is critical."