2,000 



0) 

 (/} 

 (ft 



0) 



> 



1,500 



O 1,000 



0) 



E 



3 



500 



1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 

 Source: Taiwan f-isnenes Bureau 



D Total 



□ Tuna Longliners 

 Ej Otter Trawlers 

 ObuII Trawlers 



llJ Non-specified vessels 

 Lj Squid Jiggers 



□ Drlftnet 



LJMackerel Purse Seine* 

  Tuna Purse Seine* 



Tuna and mackerel seiners were not distinauished until 1989, 



Figure I. Taiwan. Number of dislani-waler fishery vessels, by vessel Type; 1985-91. 



comprised 54 percent of the total Taiwan catch in 1991 

 (appendix D). Distant-water vessels remain at sea tor 

 extended periods of time and sell their catch at foreign 

 ports, or transfer it to transport vessels for worldwide 

 distribution. Taiwan officials spend $1-2 million 

 annually for the operation of 63 foreign fishing supply 

 and transshipment bases for the distant-water fleet.' 



Taiwan distant-water fleet statistics indicate that the 

 catch peaked in 1990 and decreased slightly in 1991 

 (appendices E and F). Catch decreased in all sectors 

 except in the squid driftnet and jigging categories 

 (figure 2). The trawler fisheries catch has decreased 

 gradually between 1988-91 while tuna purse seine and 

 longliner catches have fluctuated. 



A. Trawlers 



Taiwan trawler fisheries were initiated as early as 

 1925. During the early days, fishing was conducted in 

 the nearby East China, Yellow, and South China Seas 

 by small vessels having 50-80 gross registered tons. 

 Distant-water operations commenced in 1971 with an 

 exploratory fishery off the coast of northern Australia. 

 Taiwan trawlers operated under bilateral access 

 agreements off the coasts of Australia, the Republic of 

 South Africa, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and Somalia.^ 



At present, most of Taiwan's trawler fleet operates 

 in coastal Taiwan waters using vessels of less than 50 

 gross registered tons. It was estimated in 1988 that 

 250 Taiwan trawlers were fishing in distant-water 

 grounds,' primarily in Indian and Indonesian waters as 

 access to foreign waters has been eliminated over tlie 

 years.'' The bulk of the catch consists of squid, 

 cuttlefish, shark, snapper, and other species largely 

 consumed in the domestic market. Overall catch for 

 Taiwan distant-water trawl fisheries has decreased 

 nearly 30 percent from the peak year of 1988 to 1991 

 (appendix G). According to one source, there were 

 only 5 Taiwan trawlers greater than 1 ,OOOGRT in 1990 

 and 1991.' 



B. Squid Jiggers 



Squid jigging operations have produced at least 

 half of Taiwan's squid supply since their inception in 

 the early 1970s. Taiwan first conducted exploratory 

 squid jigging off New Zealand in 1972 and in the 

 soutliwest Atlantic in 1984." Almost the entire Taiwan 

 squid jigging catch is now harvested on the fishing 

 grounds in the .southwest Atlantic off the coast of 

 Argentina and within the Falkland Islands EEZ. 

 Taiwan jigging off New Zealand was suspended in 

 1986, because of "low economic efficiency."' 



122 



