Taiwan Today

Public and private sector initiatives promoting marine conservation are safeguarding oceanic biodiversity.

A series of large tanks in a corner of National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium (NMMBA) in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County house some of the institution’s most beloved inhabitants. When feeding time begins, their unmistakable silhouettes grow more distinct before breaking the water’s surface. These curious creatures are sea turtles, temporary residents who are undergoing treatment after being discovered ill or injured along local coastlines.

Home to the country’s largest aquarium, NMMBA is the best equipped domestic facility for rehabilitating such animals. “All seven extant sea turtle species are listed as endangered,” said Li Tsung-hsien (李宗賢), a veterinarian and researcher at NMMBA. “Five of them are found locally, including the green turtle, which is the most commonly encountered species and the only one to have nesting beaches in Taiwan.”

Nearly 200 sick, injured or dead sea turtles were recorded from January through August this year, compared with 126 in 2015, the year after a centralized system managed by NMMBA was established to monitor the species’ populations. Chen Te-hao (陳德豪‬), deputy director-general of NMMBA, attributes this to a change in public attitudes. “People are becoming more aware of the importance of protecting these animals,” he said.

Marine Agency

The government is also stepping up its efforts to protect the country’s sea life, as evidenced by the establishment of the Cabinet-level Ocean Affairs Council in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City and the subordinate Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA).

According to Huang Hsiang-wen (黃向文), director-general of the OCA, the administration benefits from being able to focus exclusively on marine matters, calling on a range of expertise from across public agencies. These include the Forestry Bureau and Environmental Protection Administration, as well as the Kaohsiung-headquartered Marine National Park Headquarters, which oversees the country’s two marine national parks: Dongsha and South Penghu.

Since its creation, the OCA has worked on projects ranging from building a database on Taiwan’s marine life to running courses teaching local government workers how to react during an ocean oil spill. Its workforce is expected to expand further as the agency takes up more tasks.

“The establishment of the OCA is the most encouraging progress for ocean conservation in recent years,” said Chang Hui-chun (張卉君), CEO of Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation (KOEF). Founded in 1998 and based in eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County, the nonprofit is known for its marine ecology research and for guiding cetacean-watching trips to educate the public on the importance of its work. “Collaborating with government agencies is crucial if we’re to fully address the challenges faced,” she added.

Last year, KOEF launched a project to analyze how microplastics are affecting ocean fauna. After gathering samples from around Taiwan and its outlying islands during the summer, the organization decided to focus on the four sites with the highest concentrations of marine waste. The OCA assisted by providing financial support and sending staff to serve on the project.

“Hopefully the newly established government agency can take over tasks such as these,” Chang said. “We only examined surface-level microplastics, so there’s still a lot to uncover.”

Animal Protection

Working with animals directly remains integral to marine conservation. At NMMBA, a team of about 30 professionals looks after a wide variety of species while conducting research. One ongoing project involves collecting and analyzing sea turtle feces to look for traces of manmade objects and examining the impact of such items. “This process helps us determine causes of death or illness and gives us ideas for how best to protect them in the future,” NMMBA’s Li said.

One of the country’s pioneers working with marine animals is Wang Jiann-ping (王建平‬), professor of life sciences at National Cheng Kung University in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City. An expert on whales, dolphins and porpoises, he helped found the institution’s Marine Biology and Cetacean Research Center, which is now collating benchmark data for assessing the most successful methods when treating these species. “We’ve reached this stage thanks to working with and researching these creatures over many years,” he said.

According to NMMBA’s Chen, recent years have seen a surge in awareness about the importance of certain types of conservation, such as for cetaceans and sea turtles. “A beached dolphin would easily make national news these days,” he said. “But the state of commercial fish stocks should be the bigger concern.”

Chen’s sentiment is shared by the government, which has taken steps to prevent overfishing and ensure a sustainable marine ecosystem. According to the Fisheries Agency of the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture, in 1989 Taiwan started to control the number of fishing boats flying its flag, most of which operate in the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) that extend 200 nautical miles from the country’s coastlines. The number now stands at about 22,000, down from 35,000 when the reduction began.

Progress has continued in limiting catch sizes for specific species and reducing the use of methods such as gillnets that can damage marine habitats. To date, using these items has been restricted by twelve local governments. In 2013 the Fisheries Agency announced rules stipulating when, where and how mackerel and scad can be caught. These two species account for nearly 60 percent of all fish harvested by Taiwan’s fishing fleet in the country’s EEZ. Similar rules are also in force for other commercial catches like squid, the harvesting of which has been regulated since September.

“We’re working with fishing crews to help them understand that short-term increases in profits can have a serious impact on long-term viability,” said Chang Chih-sheng (張致盛‬), acting director-general of the Fisheries Agency. “They need to realize that marine conservation and boosting biodiversity are vital for the industry.”

According to Chang, fishing vessels in international waters must act according to regulations formulated by regional fisheries management organizations (RFMO). These include complying with stipulations such as reporting catch amounts and locations. Quotas on species like tuna are imposed on countries and territories in these organizations. To date, Taiwan has formally participated in eight RFMOs since 1999 including the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement, which the country signed up to in July.

To ensure Taiwan does its fair share of global marine conservation work, the Fisheries Agency created a new monitoring center in 2017 for more than 1,000 locally registered vessels engaged in open ocean fishing. Its staffers now monitor these boats around the clock using the latest tracking technology. If a boat is found straying into a restricted area, the Taipei-based center broadcasts a warning.

As a maritime country and responsible member of the international community, Taiwan has a crucial role to play in safeguarding ocean life. “If we can protect marine biodiversity, it’ll improve the overall environment and boost the local economy,” Huang said. With a strong protective foundation now in place in the form of the OCA, the country’s waters are in safe hands. 

Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw