Fishing capacity management in Taiwan: Experiences and prospects

Taiwan has developed its fisheries since the 1950s and become one of the major fishing nations in the high seas. Facing overcapacity and strong criticism by related Regional Fisheries Management Organizations, Taiwan did not only formulate lots of regulations to limit fishing capacity, but also spent around US$350 million from 1991 to 2008 to scrap 30% capacity of large scale longline fishing vessels and 18% of coastal fishing vessels. This study provides the insight that efficient use of budget and communication with fisherman, and coping with comprehensive stock assessment, would be the key issues in establishing a successful fishing capacity management.