Fierce battle among mackerel fishing factions! Will the red-hot spawning grounds for mackerel scad be opened to hundred-ton fishing vessels? Fisheries Agency: conditional approval
"Mackerel caught smaller and smaller" and "Mackerel and scad trading prices plummet" are no longer news. To let the ocean recover and maintain mackerel and scad population levels, the Fisheries Agency enacted the
Three years have passed, and seeing that mackerel and scad resources have not improved, fishermen of large-scale purse seine fishing boats feel the pressure of survival even more, and have raised the issue of "mackerel and scad fishing," questioning that the current fishing ban zone is based on the total tonnage of fishing boats as the basis for restriction, "Is there a difference between the nets of large and small mackerel and scad fishing boats?" They consider it unfair that only mackerel and scad fishing boats under 100 metric tons are allowed to enter the Honghuoxin mackerel spawning fishing zone while excluding mackerel and scad fishing boats of 100 metric tons or more, and demand that the Fisheries Agency open the Honghuoxin fishing ground so that large boats can enter for fishing from January to the end of April each year, during the mackerel spawning season.
Seeing that large mackerel and scad fishing boats can no longer hold back and have made a big move to speak out, small fishing boats cannot help but worry that "large boats and small boats fishing together" may squeeze their living space; the Fisheries Agency quickly convened the "Mackerel and Scad Fisheries Management Measures Adjustment Public Hearing" yesterday (the 10th), with all parties fighting fiercely for three hours. The Fisheries Agency resolved that it will still maintain the basic regulation that fishing boats of 100 tons or more may not enter 12 nautical miles for operations; as for whether large fishing boats of 100 tons or more can enter Honghuoxin to catch mackerel and scad? The Fisheries Agency emphasized that, under the condition of first jointly setting a closed fishing period with scholars in this fiscal year, it agrees to allow entry for operations for a period of time.
These conditions include the closed fishing period, catch size restrictions, fish price restrictions, and other management measures, with management regulations to be separately set by the central government and regularly reviewed and adjusted. In addition, the Fisheries Agency also requires fishermen to truly comply with relevant regulations and landing declarations, and to use VMS (Vessel Monitoring System) to monitor the dynamics of all operating fishing boats 24 hours a day, and severely punish illegal fishing boats. For the white-bellied mackerel whose resources are declining, fisheries cooperation with neighboring countries should also be strengthened, and coast guard units should be required to strengthen patrol and protection work in our fishing grounds.
Chen Wenqin: After opening 12 nautical miles, how to manage it? Are there observers?
Facing the Fisheries Agency's public hearing resolution, the Keelung District Fishermen's Association finds it hard to accept, but can only repeatedly raise questions: "When mackerel and scad fishing boats come in and see mullet, white pomfret, red amberjack, and white ribbonfish, do they catch them or not? If other fish are caught, does it count as a violation? Do they need to report it? Are there observers?" Chen Wenqin pointed out directly, "After opening up entry within 12 nautical miles, perhaps the quarrel is resolved, but is the problem solved?" and repeatedly emphasized that the key lies in whether there is management and whether there are penalties.
In response, the Fisheries Agency stated that purse seine fishing boats catching mackerel and scad, and mackerel and scad fishing boats, may not enter the closed fishing zone to catch fish species other than mackerel and scad, and this is included in the Mackerel and Scad Fisheries Management Regulations for regulation; in addition, the Coast Guard Administration will be asked to strengthen patrol, protection, and crackdowns against foreign illegal fishing boats, in order to protect the operating fishing grounds in Taiwan's economic waters.