Taiwan Today

The romance of balmy evenings spent cruising on glassy tropic waters is not lost on Professor Liu: however the purpose of his trip was not so poetic. Thus Professor Liu Hsi-chiang of National Taiwan University's Institute of Oceanography, was describing in drier terms his experiences as a member of a research team aboard the vessel Hai Kung, surveying Australian fish resources. The survey was undertaken during the 1981 months of April, May, and June, an ideal time climatically to be abroad on Australia's northern waters. The Hai Kung, a 700 ton research vessel launched in 1976, was sent by the Taiwan Fisheries Research Institute to participate in a joint Sino-Australian survey of the North-West Shelf and the Arafura Sea, both in Australian territorial waters. Life on board the Hai Kung was not easy. When trawling, the nets were lowered at about 7:00 a.m. and hauled three times each day. Once the catch was on deck it was analyzed for species and fish size. Particularly under study was the effect of net mesh size on catch composition. As a result of this study the Australian government accepted a recommendation that trawling net mesh size be changed from 50 mm to 60 mm for the 1982 agreement period. Similar work done with gill nets estimated fish populations from catch volumes. Prof. Liu has been studying fish resources for the last fourteen years, formerly in the East China and South China Seas, and more recently in the Sunda Shelf area and Australian waters. He expresses his love for the sea in his descriptions of the idyllic conditions encountered on this voyage and in recounting more tempestuous expeditions. As appointed advisor to the ROC Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on oceanic fishing, Prof. Liu must recommend developmental directions. In this case, his thesis is that Taiwan should attempt to increase the number of licensed boats gill-net fishing in Australian waters. His task is compounded by the need to first prove to the Australian government that the fish stocks of the two areas are adequate to withstand further exploitation. To this end, he and his team in the 1981 survey worked with scientists of Australia's Commonwealth Research Organization (CSIRO), West Australian Marine Laboratory, and Northern Fisheries Department to accurately assess the stocks. On the strength of these results, the MOEA applied for an increase in the catch quota available for gill-net operators to the Fisheries Section of the Department of Primary Industry (DPI) in Australia. CSIRO advisors to the DPI, however, judged the survey incomplete, and the 1981 quota of 6,000 metric tons has been maintained. Prof. Liu, therefore, is anxious to continue this work in the year ahead. Pressure to increase gill-net operations comes from the declining harvest from trawlers operating in these waters. The reason for the cutback is simply the high energy cost of trawling; trawlers average 350 tons displacement, and net trawling requires continuous motion, with the nets being dropped and hauled three or four times per day. Australian waters yield a catch rate of about 0.9 tons per haul. Though this haul rate is considered good, fuel costs for getting to and operating in these distant waters are making the profit margin slim. In the last year, the trawlers from Taiwan working these waters did not even fill their available quota. Currently, 60 pairs of trawlers are licensed for operation in Australian waters with a quota of 20,000 tons, a figure which represents a 7,000 ton decline as compared with the 1979 quota. Gill-net operations, on the other hand, are undertaken by smaller vessels, of 200 tons on the average, often converted long line or trawling boats. Boats work individually, their nets being thrown once or twice per day, morning or evening, and left to trap the fish. Returns per day are lower than for trawlers, but it is an energy efficient process. At each throw, up to 40 pieces of net, each ten meters in length, are put out. The net floats, hanging from surface buoys, and the fish simply swim into it. The typical types of fish, known as pelagic fish, caught by this method include shark, tuna, and mackerel. Catch species composition is controlled by net mesh size, which is stipulated by the DPI fisheries department. Only 30 Taiwan boats are licensed for gill-net fishing by the DPI. The history of Taiwan boats fishing on a large scale in the Arafura Sea and North West Shelf dates back to 1971. In the following years, operations developed fast to a maximum in 1974, when the total catch was 83,380 metric tons. But the catch declined thereafter due to decreasing yields per haul. In 1979, Australia declared a 200 nautical mile fisheries jurisdiction zone, and licensing became necessary. The Australian government exacts a tax of 6 percent on the catch, based on a price scale supplied by the MOEA at current prices in Taiwan. Though this provides the majority of revenue, there is also a license fee and a crew tax levied on all boats. Masters of the vessels must radio their positions and catch daily to the Fishery Radio Station and are under aerial surveillance. The system preferred by the Australians, where foreign vessels are involved, is one of joint venture. In a joint venture, such as the Kalis-Kaohsiung Fishing Co., the partners, Kaohsiung Fishing Guild of Taiwan and Kalis of Australia, register an Australian undertaking to control operations. In this way nearly 20 trawlers are working for the guild in Australian waters. These vessels are usually larger and better equipped than the licensed boats. Their catch is not subject to the 6 percent tax of the Australian government but is subject to a heavy import duty, up to 60 percent in Taiwan. The Australian government gives a low priority to the licensing of foreign vessels to fish Australian waters, preferring to retain these rights for local fishermen or, as an alternative, for joint venture companies. This policy, on the one hand, offers Prof. Liu no guarantee that even with proof of his thesis, the Australian DPI will be forthcoming with increases in licenses and quota for Taiwan's fishing fleet. On the other hand, with foresight, Prof. Liu feels that Taiwan, in undertaking the survey, strengthens ties with Australia in this context, an essential aid if Australia does allow more fishing in these areas in the future. The cost of the survey to date has been entirely met by the Republic of China through the Taiwan Fisheries Research Institute. Operating costs for the Hai Kung and her 25-man crew made up the bulk of the expenditure. Balanced against this is the potential for profits: Prof. Liu has estimated the potential yield of the Arafura Sea alone at 477,000 tons per annum. The present catch is only one tenth of this. Funds for completing the survey will be considered when the Hai Kung, now being refitted in Kaohsiung, is returned to the water this month, once again measuring the wealth of the seas and creating a wealth of goodwill between the two nations.