[Birdbycatch] updates from Taiwan

Sat, 28 Jun 2003 19:15:08 -0700

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From: <http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/editornews/print.pl?article=3D160>

Taiwan addresses seabird bycatch published - 19 March, 2003
Significant steps have been taken by the Taiwanese Government to address=20
the seabird bycatch from legally operated Taiwanese owned vessels.

The Deputy Administrator of the Taiwanese Fisheries Administration, Council=
=20
of Agriculture, James Sha, announced in 2002 a Government-funded scientific=
=20
observer programme for Taiwanese longline fishing vessels. On-board=20
observers will monitor the level of seabird bycatch on these vessels and to=
=20
date, six observers have been deployed in the Southern Atlantic, Indian and=
=20
Pacific Oceans, spending up to three months at sea on each deployment.=20
Observers receive an intensive three-week training course. During the first=
=20
of these, Professor Chien-chung Cheng, President of the Wild Bird=20
Federation Taiwan (WBFT, BirdLife in Taiwan), gave a lecture on the=20
conservation status and threats faced by albatrosses and petrels. Seabird=20
bycatch mitigation measures are also covered in training courses held for=20
officers of longline vessels.

Although Taiwan is not recognised as a sovereign state by the UN, it is=20
nevertheless following the guidelines of the UN Food and Agriculture=20
Organization=92s (FAO) International Plan of Action (IPOA) to reduce seabird=
=20
bycatch, and is currently preparing a National Plan of Action (NPOA). All=20
Taiwanese vessels legally fishing south of 30=BAS are required to use=20
bird-scaring lines and to set lines only at night. Since 1996 the Fisheries=
=20
Administration has subsidised the installation of approximately 150=20
bird-scaring lines. An educational booklet, Catch Fish not Birds, has been=
=20
published in Mandarin and distributed to longline fishing vessels and the=20
Tuna Boat-owners Association has assisted 140 Albacore longline vessels to=
=20
install automatic bait casting machines and 70 vessels to be equipped with=
=20
bird-scaring lines.

More than 500 Taiwanese-owned longline vessels operate legally world-wide,=
=20
targeting various species of tuna. A further 169 Taiwanese-owned vessels=20
operate under a Flag of Convenience outside of Taiwan=92s domestic=20
legislation. Many of these vessels operate in the Southern Ocean, south of=
=20
30=BAS, where unsustainable numbers of seabirds are killed when they attempt=
=20
to snatch bait from the hooks of longline vessels and are dragged=20
underwater and drowned (see, for example, World Birdwatch 22(2) 10=9613).

The Taiwanese and Japanese authorities are collaborating on an Action Plan=
=20
to deter Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing vessels=20
(so-called =91pirate fishing=92 boats) that operate under a Flag of=20
Convenience. These illegal boats are undoubtedly responsible for killing=20
large numbers of seabirds =96 they act outside the rules and do little to=20
prevent seabird bycatch. The Action Plan operates on a =91white list=92=
 basis,=20
whereby legally operating vessels are recognised by both countries, and=20
their landings and trade can be controlled. This is preferable to=20
blacklisting pirate vessels which can change names and registration details=
=20
all too easily.

BirdLife and WBFT will hold an Asian-focused technical workshop on seabird=
=20
bycatch mitigation measures in Taiwan in May 2003. It will focus on sharing=
=20
technical and practical information on which mitigation methods are best=20
suited to vessels operating out of the region and ways to reduce seabird=20
bycatch further while at the same time improving fishing efficiency.

[Reproduced from the March 2003 issue of World Birdwatch, the magazine of=20
BirdLife International. For information on subscribing, and to see a sample=
=20
issue, please visit: http://www.birdlife.org/help/wbwmag.cfm]

Elizabeth Mitchell
P.O. Box 933
Eugene, Oregon 97440
U.S.A.
Tel: 541/ 935-0858
Message Tel: 541/344-5503
E-mail: emitch@efn.org

 =20
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From:
&lt;<a=
 href=3D"http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/editornews/print.pl?article=3D160"=
 eudora=3D"autourl">http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/editornews/print.pl?art=
icle=3D160</a>&gt;
 
 
Taiwan addresses
seabird bycatch published - 19
March, 2003 
Significant steps have been taken by the
Taiwanese Government to address the seabird bycatch from legally operated
Taiwanese owned vessels. 
 
The Deputy Administrator of the Taiwanese Fisheries Administration,
Council of Agriculture, James Sha, announced in 2002 a Government-funded
scientific observer programme for Taiwanese longline fishing vessels.
On-board observers will monitor the level of seabird bycatch on these
vessels and to date, six observers have been deployed in the Southern
Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, spending up to three months at sea
on each deployment. Observers receive an intensive three-week training
course. During the first of these, Professor Chien-chung Cheng, President
of the Wild Bird Federation Taiwan (WBFT, BirdLife in Taiwan), gave a
lecture on the conservation status and threats faced by albatrosses and
petrels. Seabird bycatch mitigation measures are also covered in training
courses held for officers of longline vessels. 
 
Although Taiwan is not recognised as a sovereign state by the UN, it is
nevertheless following the guidelines of the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization=92s (FAO) International Plan of Action (IPOA) to reduce
seabird bycatch, and is currently preparing a National Plan of Action
(NPOA). All Taiwanese vessels legally fishing south of 30=BAS are required
to use bird-scaring lines and to set lines only at night. Since 1996 the
Fisheries Administration has subsidised the installation of approximately
150 bird-scaring lines. An educational booklet, Catch Fish not Birds, has
been published in Mandarin and distributed to longline fishing vessels
and the Tuna Boat-owners Association has assisted 140 Albacore longline
vessels to install automatic bait casting machines and 70 vessels to be
equipped with bird-scaring lines. 
 
More than 500 Taiwanese-owned longline vessels operate legally
world-wide, targeting various species of tuna. A further 169
Taiwanese-owned vessels operate under a Flag of Convenience outside of
Taiwan=92s domestic legislation. Many of these vessels operate in the
Southern Ocean, south of 30=BAS, where unsustainable numbers of seabirds
are killed when they attempt to snatch bait from the hooks of longline
vessels and are dragged underwater and drowned (see, for example, World
Birdwatch 22(2) 10=9613). 
 
The Taiwanese and Japanese authorities are collaborating on an Action
Plan to deter Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing vessels
(so-called =91pirate fishing=92 boats) that operate under a Flag of
Convenience. These illegal boats are undoubtedly responsible for killing
large numbers of seabirds =96 they act outside the rules and do little to
prevent seabird bycatch. The Action Plan operates on a =91white list=92
basis, whereby legally operating vessels are recognised by both
countries, and their landings and trade can be controlled. This is
preferable to blacklisting pirate vessels which can change names and
registration details all too easily. 
 
BirdLife and WBFT will hold an Asian-focused technical workshop on
seabird bycatch mitigation measures in Taiwan in May 2003. It will focus
on sharing technical and practical information on which mitigation
methods are best suited to vessels operating out of the region and ways
to reduce seabird bycatch further while at the same time improving
fishing efficiency. 
 
[Reproduced from the March 2003 issue of World Birdwatch, the magazine of
BirdLife International. For information on subscribing, and to see a
sample issue, please visit: http://www.birdlife.org/help/wbwmag.cfm]
 
 
<x-sigsep></x-sigsep>
Elizabeth Mitchell 
P.O. Box 933 
Eugene, Oregon 97440 
U.S.A. 
Tel: 541/ 935-0858 
Message Tel: 541/344-5503 
E-mail: emitch@efn.org 
 
 
 
 
 
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