Successful Reduction of Fishing Boats for Larval Anchovies in New Taipei City Helps Sustainable Use of Fishery Resources
Date：2019-04-18
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To maintain the fishery resources of larval anchovies, New Taipei City Government budgets for purchasing the management right for larval anchovy fishery from fishermen each year and has announced that a fishing boat would lose qualifications for fishing larval anchovies once it is sold. Since 2009, the number of fishing boats for larval anchovies in the city has reduced by 148. In the future, the government will continue to guide fishing boats for larval anchovies to transfer to other fisheries to maintain the sustainable use of resources of larval anchovies. Transformation of Larval Anchovy Fishery in New Taipei City Makes Steady Progress Larval anchovy fishery is an important kind of household coastal fisheries in Taiwan, and larval anchovies are important fish species to be consumed by Taiwanese. The fish species that Taiwan's larval anchovy fishery catches chiefly include Encrasicholina punctifer, Encrasicholina heteroloba and Engraulis japonicus. The main place of production for larval anchovies in New Taipei City is in the waters of Tamsui District, accounting for 5~10% of total yield in Taiwan. To take both the conservation of fishery resources and fishermen’s livelihood into consideration, Fisheries Agency has started controlling the number of fishing boats for larval anchovies and fish catches since 2009 to prevent overfishing. Additionally, the Agency has stipulated favorable purchase measures for fishing boats for larval anchovies. However, once a fishing boat is purchased, fishermen lose equipment for earning money, which greatly impacts their livelihood. To solve the problem, New Taipei City Government has stipulated “Guidelines for Purchase of New Taipei City Fishing Boats and Rafts for Larval Anchovies and Management Right for Larval Anchovy Fishery” to purchase the management right for larval anchovy fishery with NT$100,000 per boat and guide fishermen to transfer to other fisheries to reduce impact on their livelihood. Director-General Wen Lee of Agriculture Department, New Taipei City Government indicated that the number of fishing boats for larval anchovies has gradually declined to 129 this year (2019) from 277 in 2009. Agriculture Department will continue to purchase the management right for larval anchovies to implement the management of larval anchovy fishery and the conservation of the resources.
