Fisheries Agency censured over typhoon crew evacuations failures (Update)

Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) The Control Yuan, Taiwan's top government watchdog, on Thursday censured the Fisheries Agency (FA) for failing to effectively assist local governments in evacuating crew members from fishing boats moored during typhoons that made landfall in Taiwan between July and October last year.

The censure followed an investigation by Control Yuan members Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) and Wang Yu-ling (王幼玲), which found that many fishing crew members had remained aboard their vessels during Typhoons Gaemi, Krathon, and Kong-rey, despite local government orders to evacuate all fishing vessels under 100 metric tonnes.

According to the investigation, 15 of the country's 19 cities and counties with fishing ports had issued evacuation orders requiring such vessels to "fully evacuate" their crews to safety.

Some fishermen briefly came ashore for a roll call but were later instructed by their employers to return to their ships, the report found.

Such actions violated the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act and are punishable by a fine ranging from NT$50,000 (US$1,676.50) to NT$250,000, the Control Yuan members said in a statement.

However, the FA was described as "passive" in overseeing the mandatory evacuations, stating that its role was limited to compiling evacuation information provided by local governments.

The Control Yuan members criticized the FA for not only failing to assist local governments in enforcing the orders, but also for "shirking its responsibility" by shifting the burden onto local authorities, highlighting what they called a case of "major negligence" in its administration.

In 2018, the FA had presided over a meeting to discuss criteria for evacuating fishing crew members during typhoons, the investigators noted.

Yet, despite increasingly extreme weather conditions, the agency had not updated or maintained these standards, instead stating it would abolish them altogether, reflecting an "indifferent attitude," they said.

The Control Yuan members urged the FA to redouble efforts to support local governments in developing transparent and operable evacuation standards tailored to the specific characteristics of each fishing port, in order to protect fishermen's safety.

CNA received reports that some migrant fishermen were forced to remain aboard their vessels during Typhoon Krathon in October 2024 to "guard" the ships and ensure mooring lines did not snap, which could have caused the boats to drift out to sea or collide with neighboring vessels.

The crew members required to remain on board were mostly migrant workers, according to the reports.

Addressing these concerns, the ombudswomen cited unnamed experts who suggested that local governments work to improve port stability and, based on scientific evidence, formulate rules on when crew members may be allowed to remain on vessels to guard them.

They noted that New Taipei, which has made notable progress in this regard, could serve as a reference for other jurisdictions.

In response, the FA said it would engage in humble introspection and consult with relevant central and local agencies to ensure that local governments take appropriate response measures during typhoons.

It added that it would continue urging local governments to review and adjust evacuation standards for fishing crews during typhoons.