Monday, April 25, 2016

25/04/2016: Illegal fishing has Taiwan facing a ban on seafood exports to the EU

http://thediplomat.com/2016/04/taiwans-illegal-fishing-is-out-of-control/
Greenpeace has uncovered persistent shark finning and a host of other illegal practices (Image: Nicholas Wang)
The Taiwanese fleet of longline tuna vessels is the largest in the world, supplying the world’s largest seafood companies, such as the Thai Union, Linda van der Horst writes in The Diplomat. 

But the industry is fraught with illegal activities, both in fishing and labor practices. Nudged into action by a threatened ban on exports to the European Union, the Taiwanese government has been trying to address the issue of illegal fishing.

A year-long Greenpeace investigation found that Taiwan’s tuna fishing industry is “out of control” – citing evidence for persistent shark finning, illegal tuna fishing, and forced labor and human rights abuses at sea. But more importantly, the investigative report criticizes the Taiwanese government, stating that Taiwan “knows these issues exist, [but] does little to address them despite domestic and international requirements.”

Last year, in October 2015, the European Union slapped Taiwan with a “yellow card” for not taking sufficient measures to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, after holding a dialogue with Taiwan on the issue since 2012. In particular, it pointed to Taiwan’s inadequate monitoring, control, and surveillance of long-distance fleets, the EU said in a press release. The EU has been cracking down on illegal fishing since 2010. At least 15 percent of world catches were caught illegally, amounting to 10 billion euros ($11.3 billion) per year, the EU reiterates in their press release. 

Read the full article HERE
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