Taiwan Wants ICCAT To Give Tuna Quota Backff

The Taiwanese Council of Agriculture (COA) will pull out all the stops to push the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) to return the tuna catch quota for Taiwan to the previous level, an official said last week.

COA Vice Chairman Lee Chien-chuan made the remarks as the ICCAT is scheduled to meet in November to review whether Taiwan has improved its supervision of tuna fishing operations over the past year to prevent overfishing on the high seas.

The ICCAT decided last year to slash the 2006 tuna catch quota for Taiwan to 4,600 tons from the original 14,900 tons as a punishment for Taiwan’s alleged overfishing on the high seas in 2004. It also demanded that Taiwan step up management and surveillance of its tuna fishing operations, pending a review in November this year.

Lee said the COA has been lobbying the United States, Japan, Canada and the European Union to support resumption of the original tuna catch quota for Taiwan for the coming year. “We have embarked on an all-out lobbying campaign to convince ICCAT member countries to back our appeal for return our catch quota to the previous level,” Lee said.

During the recent conference of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna, Lee said the Taiwan delegation had asked Japan to speak for Taiwan when the ICCAT meets next month. Lee said the COA has furnished all ICCAT member states with detailed statistical reports on Taiwanese fishing vessels’ tuna catch on the high seas. “The breadth and completeness of our reports have won much recognition,” he added.

Sha Chih-i, deputy director of the COA’s Fisheries Administration, traveled to Canada earlier this month to brief Canadian officials on Taiwan’s efforts in improving tuna fishing management and supervision, Lee said. Asked whether Taiwan can succeed in its bid to have its tuna catch quota returned to the previous level, Lee said he is cautiously optimistic.

“Developments so far are favorable for us. But the international situation tends to be changing all the time, so we must remain vigilant,” Lee said.

Before the ICCAT conference, Lee said, the Taiwan delegation will hold a pre-departure meeting to coordinate opinions and stances of the government, fishing sector and academic community on all relevant issues.

Taiwan has implemented a three-phase program to meet the ICCAT requirement for tuna fishing in international waters. Professional observers have been posted onboard the 15 Taiwanese big-eye tuna fishing boats that are allowed to operate in international waters.

In addition, 60 longfin tuna boats from Taiwan, in collaboration with the United States, have periodically reported their catch to the ICCAT, and the 42 Taiwanese fishing vessels ordered to be mothballed in Taiwan have been subject to satellite surveillance.

Moreover, Taiwan banned 59 fishing vessels from catching tuna in international waters last year and has further restricted 101 ships from doing so this year.