Environment

Environmental group draws attention to fishing gear threat with video of turtle injured by fish lure

sea turtle hooked by fishing lure
Animals Marine and Fisheries 
Press Release 0 Comment , , , ,

Press Release: Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) The Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) recently received reports of a green loggerhead impaled by a barbed fishing lure in the waters off Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County. The lure pierced the turtle’s chin, neck and left fin, visibly tugging at the animal’s skin with every fin stroke. The injured turtle was spotted by divers who captured video footage of the scene. According to Taiwan’s Wildlife Conservation Act, members

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Shipping company exempted from paying damages to fishing industry for 2016 oil spill

composite image of TS Lines freighter and oil pollution
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

Taiwan’s High Court today ruled that the owners of a freighter that ran aground on the north coast in 2016, causing an oil spill, does not have to pay compensation to local fishermen as there is no proof of damage to the fishery. The TS Lines ship, TS Taipei ran aground on the coast in Shimen District on March 9, 2016, and began to break in half on March 24. The subsequent spill of heavy oil affected the coast of

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Search underway for 1 missing after 4 crew fall from cargo ship in the Taiwan Strait

VIMC Sunrise berthed in port
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Taiwan’s coast guard and National Airborne Service Corps are conducting a sea and air search for a Vietnamese national who went missing after four crew members of a cargo ship fell into the sea off the coast of Yunlin County yesterday, October 17. The Central Taiwan Maritime Affair Center of the Maritime and Port Bureau said that it received notification from the National Coast Guard Administration at around 6:00 pm yesterday, Monday, that four crew members from the 31,236-ton Vietnamese

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Study finds microplastics in popular fish snacks from 7 Asian countries

chart showing microplastics environmental flow chart
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , , ,

A research team at a Taiwanese university found microplastics in 14 dried fish products from 7 different countries in Asia, according to a study published in the latest issue of The Journal of Hazardous Materials. The study conducted at the College of Marine Sciences at National Sun Yat-sen University examined small whole dried fish products that are commonly eaten with peanuts as a snack or appetizer and are popular in Asian countries. The products were produced in Japan, China, Sri

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Freighter that sank off east coast has more than 80,000 liters of oil and petroleum products aboard: too deep to salvage

composite image of ship and oil containers
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

Taiwan port and maritime authorities are monitoring an area off the coast of Taitung County after a freighter carrying 81,000 liters of oil and petroleum products sank after a collision with another ship two days ago. The Taitung-based freighter Dafa No.1 sank 16.2 nautical miles southeast of Fugang Harbor after a collision with the Liberian-flagged oil tanker, Lia, shortly after midnight April 26. See previous story: Taiwanese freighter sinks after collision with oil tanker: crew of 9 rescued Yesterday, it

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Taiwanese freighter sinks after collision with oil tanker: crew of 9 rescued

crew in lifeboat and coast guard personnel
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

Taiwan’s coast guard rescued 9 people who were aboard a freighter that sank off Taiwan’s east coast after being hit by a oil tanker shortly after midnight this morning, April 26. The Taiwanese cargo ship Dafa No.1 was carrying supplies from Fugang Harbor, Taitung to Orchid Island when it was hit by the 42,010 gross-ton Liberian-registered oil tanker Lia (IMO: 9417751) traveling between Kuwait and South Korea. Keelung Coastal Radio picked up a distress call from the Dafa No.1 saying that

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Northeast tuna season opens with first bluefin sold for more than NT$1.8 million

first Pacific bluefin tuna for 2022 season at Port of Su'ao Nanfang Harbor
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

The first Pacific bluefin tuna caught off Taiwan’s northeast coast this year sold at auction for a total price of NT$1,897,000 million at Nanfang Harbor, Port of Su’ao, in Yilan County this morning, April 21. The 271 kilogram fish opened with starting bid of NT$5,600 per kilogram, and was finally sold at NT$7,000 per kilogram to Taipei restaurant Sando House. The price was considerably lower than the NT$8,600 per kilo paid for the first catch last year, also purchased by

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Body found in harbor suspected to be crew of Korean tug missing in Taiwan Strait

police and coast guard personnel with body retrieved from Magong Harbor
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , , ,

A body found floating in Magong Harbor on Penghu Island is believed to be one of four Korean crew members who remain missing after a Korean-owned Sierra Leone-flagged vessel went missing, presumed to have sunk in the Taiwan Strait two days ago. Penghu County Fire Bureau received a report of a floating body at the south embankment of the Suogang Wharf in Magong Harbor at 11:50 am this morning, April 9. Police and coast guard personnel retrieved the body shortly

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2 bodies found after Korean tug goes missing in the Taiwan Strait

Unpowered ship section after push tug missing in the Taiwan Strait
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Taiwan’s National Coast Guard Administration personnel recovered two bodies this morning during a search for a Korean-owned pusher tug with six crew aboard that went missing after sending a distress call yesterday, April 8. The Sierra Leone-flagged tug Kyoto No. 1 was en route from the Port of Busan, Korea to Batam, Indonesia via the Taiwan Strait when the crew sent a distress signal from a position close to the Penghu Islands at 9:50 am, Thursday. Taiwan’s National Rescue Command

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Evergreen container ship “Ever Forward” hasn’t budged for 17 days since grounding on US east coast

Evergreen Marine Ever Forward container ship aground on US east coast with US Coast Guard vessel and personnel in foreground
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

An Evergreen container ship is still stuck after several attempts to move it, including dredging the muddy bottom, since it ran aground more than two weeks ago. The 334-meter-long 12,000 TEU Ever Forward, owned by Evergreen Hong Kong, a subsidiary of Taiwanese shipping and transportation giant Evergreen Marine Corporation, became stranded after grounding in shallow water north of Chesapeake Bay, shortly after leaving the Port of Baltimore on March 13 bound for Norfolk, Virginia. The vessel and cargo did not

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