For the purpose of addressing the policy and the task of the common fight against IUU fishing with international community, preventing IUU fishing from happening, prohibiting IUU fish or fisheries products from entering into market and other relevant issues, the Executive Yuan established the Combating IUU Task Force.

　　The Council of Agriculture of the Executive Yuan (hereinafter referred to as COA) says that the Executive Yuan has appointed the Minister without Portfolio, Hon. Jing-sen CHANG, as the Chairperson of the Task Force, and the members of the Task Force include the deputy Ministers of COA, Foreign Affairs, Transportation and Communications, Finance, Justice, Economics, Health and Welfare, and the deputy Director-General of the Coast Guard Administration. The Task Force will be in charge of (1) integrating and coordinating overall strategies of the common fight against IUU fishing with international community, preventing IUU fishing from happening and prohibiting IUU fish or fisheries products from entering into market; (2) consulting and deliberating critical issues of the common fight against IUU fishing with international community, preventing IUU fishing from happening and prohibiting IUU fish or fisheries products from entering into market; and (3) supervising the critical issues such as the plans of combating IUU fishing or the implementation of important measures. In addition, there is a subordinate Cross-Ministerial Working Group which will assist the Task Force to address relevant issues such as the adjustment of relevant domestic regulations and the coordination of cross-ministerial issues.

National Plan of Control and Inspection for Fisheries (NPCI) was adopted and effective implementation of relevant fisheries management measures is expected

　　The COA further expresses that in order to actively undertake relevant cross-ministerial tasks of combating IUU fishing, the subordinate Working Group had held meeting on 18 October 2016 discussing the draft of NPCI, and then the draft of NPCI was delivered to the Task Force for deliberation and approval on 25 October 2016. After the approval of the NPCI, it will be put in practice immediately. The management measures of the NPCI include important fisheries management measures such as permit of distant water fisheries, port control, vessel monitoring system, e-logbook system, at-sea boarding and inspection, national fisheries observer, transshipment control, landing declaration, designated foreign ports inspection, audit on trading companies and processing plant, fish products certificate, etc. In addition, the NPCI also set the monitoring and inspection benchmark according to the risk of potential IUU fishing activities. The aforementioned measures will be collectively implemented by the Fisheries Agency of the COA with other relevant ministries in the future.

Approved critical cross-ministerial issues of fisheries management will be integrated, coordinated and implemented by the Task Force

　　The COA says that the critical cross-ministerial issues of fisheries management will be discussed and addressed by the Working Group and the Task Force as well. Through the cross-ministerial platform of the Task Force, the following critical management issues will be continually discussed and coordinated, and further reach the consensus among the ministries:

1. Port control on foreign flagged fishing vessels and the carrier vessels carrying fish or fisheries products;
2. Control of traceability of the trade of fish or fisheries products;
3. At-sea boarding and inspection;
4. Designated foreign port inspection;

5. Investigation and control of distant water fisheries operating abroad.

Combating IUU fishing for ensuring sustainable marine fisheries resources

　　Lastly, the COA expresses that for the purpose of conserving sustainable marine fisheries resources, combating IUU fishing is the common goal among the international community. Through the responsible fisheries of the flag States, the port control of the port States and the management of traceability of fish or fisheries products entering into market of the market States, we are able to collectively build an integrative and intensified fisheries management measures to fight against IUU fishing.

　　In addition to efficiently and effectively integrating the management capacity of relevant ministries through the Task Force, Taiwan will continually cooperate with the port States, the market States and regional fisheries management organizations for the purpose of conserving sustainable marine fisheries resources.

Contact details:
Mr. Hong-Yen Huang,
Deputy Director-General of Fisheries Agency,
0920-089165