THE EU CONCERNS: The protesters marched from the Council of Agriculture to the Legislative Yuan, demanding that the government retract the ‘irrational’ regulations
Taipei Times
Date: Nov 07, 2018
By: Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporter
About 2,800 fishers from Pingtung and Yilan counties yesterday marched in Taipei to
More than 2,000 distant water fishers from across Taiwan gathered yesterday in front of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei to protest an increase in Council of Agriculture fines following amendments to the Act for Distant Water Fisheries and two other major fisheries laws. Photo: CNA
protest against stricter regulations, while civic groups called on the government not to loosen regulations barring illegal fishing activities.
Since Taiwan was given a “yellow card” about illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities by the EU in October 2015, the Council of Agriculture has been trying to get the nation removed from the list by tightening regulations.
Since January last year, when the Act Governing Distant Water Fisheries (遠洋漁業條例), the Act to Govern Investment in the Operation of Foreign Flag Fishing Vessels (投資經營非我國籍漁船管理條例) and amendments to the Fisheries Act (漁業法) took effect, the council has issued fines of more than NT$120 million (US$3.9 million) as of Oct. 25.
The protesters marched from the council building to the Legislative Yuan, demanding that the government retract the “irrational” regulations, pass legislation to specifically govern fishers’ labor standards and increase maritime patrols in the nation’s exclusive economic zones. [FULL STORY]
