Taiwan’s eight-month ban on elver fishing took effect at the beginning of March with the aim of sustaining the species by saving 6%-10% of young eels each year.
In a bid to make the industry more sustainable, the Fisheries Agency introduced a measure last September to ban elver fishing annually from March 1 to Oct. 31.
During that period, elver fishing is prohibited in waters three nautical miles off the coastline, on tidal flats and near estuaries around Taiwan, excluding Hualien and Taitung counties. Violators will be subject to a fine of between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000 (US$990- US$4,950), according to the regulation.
Elver fishing season in Taiwan usually lasts from October to April, according to the Fisheries Agency. It is during that seven-month period that the eels migrate from fresh waterways to spawn in the sea and new elvers swim back to the rivers.
The agency estimates that the ban, which cuts off the fishing season at both ends, will help save 6%-10% of young elvers, giving them a chance to swim back to fresh water. But critics say the ban is “just for show” and is not enough to save the increasingly endangered species.
2014 WantChinaTimes.com