February 20, 2016 — TAIPEI – Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency said that it will step up efforts to monitor the operations of Taiwanese long-distance fishing vessels, in response to an international effort to tighten fishing amid diminishing fishery resources.
Under a five-year program that has been approved by the Cabinet, the government agency said it will post more personnel overseas at harbors close to areas where many Taiwanese long-distance fishing boats operate.
The agency currently has personnel posted in Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, and South Africa, where Taiwanese long-distance fishing boats unload their fish catches, said Tsay Tzu-yaw, head of the Fisheries Agency.
Tsay said his agency will post more personnel overseas to cover more areas where Taiwanese long-distance fishing vessels operate. The personnel will board such Taiwanese boats to check whether their operations are in line with law, he added.
The number of additional personnel and where they will be posted will be confirmed after further negotiations with the countries involved, he said.
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