Management of Larva Fishery
Larva fishery is
one of the important coastal artesanal fisheries of Taiwan, and larva are important
seafood consumed by the people of Taiwan. Scientific research reviews that larva
of anchovy and herring are major target species in larva fishery. Due to
extensive catching in the past, resources of anchovy and herring have gradually
depleted, adding to the concern of large bycatch of the larva of other high
value fish species, therefore there is a need to control the fishery, in order
to conserve the resources in larva fishery.
As from 2008, the
Fisheries Agency sent personnel to key fishing ports, to conduct control and
verification of catch at time of landing, and collect information from catch
logbooks for provision to scientists for scientific analysis, for updating the
status of the resources. In 2011, the Regulatory
Guidelines for the Competent Local Authorities to Manage Larva Fishery were
established. The control measures include the restriction on the business
scale, establishment of closed areas, annual total allowable catch, obligation
of filling in and submitting catch logbooks, and coordination with the Coast
Guard Administration for conducting surveillance and control of the larva
fishery. “Effective management to replace total closure” is the top principle
in the management of the larva fishery, in order to achieve the objective of
rational utilization of resources, and this management principle may be amended
from time to time, according to the actual condition of the fishery.
Under the
government’s strict management of the larva fishery, between 2008 and 2011, the
catch of larva increased from 488 tons to the quantity between 600 tons and 790
tons, and further increased to 1,099 tons in 2012, indicating the preliminary
result of management by the local governments. Understanding of the variability
of marine resources requires long time cumulation of scientific data. The
Fisheries Agency will continue to commission scientists to conduct the work of
scientific reseaarch, serving as a basis for fisheries management.