Taiwan Tightens Net on Protected Fish Species: Imports Intercepted

Customs officials yesterday found protected species in a shipment of frozen fish imported from Indonesia. The shipment had been declared to contain blackspot tuskfish (Choerodon schoenleinii), also known as green wrasse, ‘and other parrot fish’. When inspected, the shipment was found to include 23 green humphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum), with a total weight of 80kg. The species is protected under Taiwan’s wildlife protection laws, and is banned from export or import. When told the shipment violated the law, a representative