Taiwan fisheries agency rejects Greenpeace shark fishing allegations

Taipei, May 6 (CNA) Taiwan's Fisheries Agency on Tuesday rejected accusations from environmental group Greenpeace that four Taiwan-flagged vessels illegally caught sharks last year in a closed area of the North Pacific Ocean.

Fisheries Agency Deputy Director Lin Ting-jung (林頂榮) told reporters that Greenpeace had "misunderstood" the situation, saying the area cited is a "voluntary closed zone" designated for specific vessels, suggesting it is not subject to formal legal restrictions.

In a press release, the agency said the area has been opened since 2021 for trial fishing by selected vessels to collect scientific data, in line with Taiwan's evolving shark conservation measures in the Western and Central Pacific.

The agency said trial access was approved in response to repeated calls from the fishing industry to lift seasonal bans, while requiring adherence to shark management measures passed by regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs).

The Fisheries Agency said it would maintain the current regulatory approach unless evidence is provided showing that the area functions as a shark nursery, or until the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) enacts official closures or time-based bans.

According to a Greenpeace statement posted on the group's website on Tuesday, Greenpeace vessel the Rainbow Warrior observed four Taiwan-flagged longline vessels operating in a seasonal closed zone from Aug. 4-10 last year.

The environmental group said it filmed over 10 hours of footage that documented at least 39 sharks being caught, including the endangered shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), with catch records indicating that sharks were the primary target.

Greenpeace said the fishing appeared to be "planned, targeted behavior" and accused the agency of failing to enforce conservation rules despite having established a 24-hour vessel monitoring center in 2017.

Huang Hsin-yi (黃馨儀), a marine project director with the environmental group, said the Fisheries Agency had not issued a single fine for violations of seasonal shark bans between 2017 and 2025, despite having the tools to monitor such activity.

"This type of illegal fishing on the high seas will only cause Taiwan's international reputation to be further damaged," Huang said.

Huang urged the agency to implement systematic inspections of illegal fishing, publish vessel tracking data for third-party monitoring, and establish an electronic observer system similar to those used internationally.

"If the government chooses not to investigate or neglects to deal with it, it will be tantamount to tacitly allowing illegal catches to enter the market," Huang said.

The Fisheries Agency said Taiwan currently bans fishing of several shark species, including the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus), megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios), and great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias).

In addition, it said international bodies such as the WCPFC and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission prohibit the catch of oceanic whitetip sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus), silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis), mobular rays and manta rays.