Dealers Requested to Make Eel Resources Sustainable During No-Take and Conservation Period
As eel fishermen claimed that eel larvae this year reached the shore later than usual, resulting in lower catches than expected, The Council extended the catching period for eel larvae for one more month to March 31, 2018 to simultaneously attend the livelihood of fishermen and sustainable resources of eels.
According to Wang Chao-Hua, director of Fisheries and Fishing Port Affairs Management Office, New Taipei City Government (hereinafter referred to as The Office), catching eel larvae are Taiwan's traditional fishery. The chief catching place for eel larvae in New Taipei City is in Tamsui District, which accounts for 15%-24% of Taiwan's total output in recent years. The catching period for eel larvae beginning on November 1, 2017 up to the present has gone through numerous cold currents, leading to low temperatures and bad sea conditions. Additionally, the artificial breeding technology for eels still requires breakthroughs, and eel larvae that eel breeders breed rely completely on natural catching. Therefore, a great number of fishermen still brave cold wind and big waves to fish for eel larvae at estuaries and intertidal zones. In addition to reminding eel dealers of abiding by related catching regulations, The Council continued to inform them that they have to register and fill in fishing journals to facilitate scientific surveys of and research into eel (larvae) resources and planning for eel resources management and assessment.
Moreover, The Office declared that fishing for eel larvae is an important industry in Taiwan, and that the conservation of the larvae is of great urgency as eel resources decline day by day. Those who violate regulations for prohibition on fishing for eel larvae will be fined between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000 no matter they fish for eel larvae by shore “manually” or catch larvae on the sea with fishing boats (rafts). Therefore, The Office requested fishermen to obey the regulations so as to maintain the sustainable development of the traditional eel larvae fishery.