Taiwan just banned intentional and bycatch fishing of endangered great white and basking sharks along with the rare megamouth shark.

Live Kindly
Date: July 20, 2020
By: Liam Pritchett

Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency will impose a ban on fishing for three large-size shark species including the megamouth, great white, and basking shark. The ban aims to preserve the extremely biologically diverse waters surrounding Taiwan.

In a statement released on July 15, the government agency said that fishing boats that catch the sharks by accident are to place them back into the water—whether dead or alive. The ban will apply to all Taiwanese fishing boats, regardless of fishing location. The ban takes effect in 60 days after the notification if no objections are raised.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists both great white and basking sharks as vulnerable and endangered species.

Humans rarely see the deep-water megamouth shark. But in June, fishing boats caught six megamouth sharks in just four days off of Taiwan’s east coast. According to the Environmental Information Center, just 226 catches have been recorded globally. Over 60 percent of these catches occurred in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]