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### Viewing cable 05TAIPEI3773, TAIWAN WEAK ON SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
05TAIPEI3773 | 2005-09-12 07:49 | 2011-08-23 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | American Institute Taiwan, Taipei

`

    This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

` `

    UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 003773

    SIPDIS

    PLEASE PASS AIT/W
    STATE FOR EAP/RSP/TC, OES/OMC - DAVID HOGAN
    COMMERCE FOR NOAA/NMFS - BSCHROEDER AND TFARIS

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: ECON EFIS SENV TW JA ESTH
    SUBJECT: TAIWAN WEAK ON SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION

    REF: A) 2004 TAIPEI 03671 B) 2004 SECSTATE 118401

    ¶1. Summary: In preparation for upcoming AIT/TECRO bilateral
    meetings on fisheries, AIT has reviewed Taiwan's efforts to
    reduce sea turtle bycatch.  Taiwan has not kept
    comprehensive records on sea turtle bycatch, modified its
    fishing gear, or educated its fishermen to prevent sea
    turtle bycatch.  Continued international pressure will be
    necessary if progress is to be made.  End Summary.

    Taiwan's Involvement in Sea Turtle Conservation
    --------------------------------------------- --

    ¶2. Taiwan has participated in a number of meetings regarding
    sea turtle conservation.  For example, in November 2004
    Taiwan attended a meeting of the Food and Agricultural
    Organization (FAO) of the United Nations as an observer.
    The purpose of the meeting was to develop guidelines to
    reduce sea turtle mortality.  Also, as an observer at the
    2005 meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
    (IATTC), Taiwan was witness to the adoption of a resolution
    for the conservation of sea turtles.  Thus, Taiwan's
    Fisheries Administration (FA) is well-informed about the
    need to protect sea turtles.

    Taiwan Cooperation Needed to Save Sea Turtles
    ---------------------------------------------

    ¶3. Taiwan's cooperation is essential to help protect sea
    turtles.  Taiwan operates the world's sixth largest fishing
    fleet.  Taiwan's fishing ships operate in every ocean of the
    world, staying at sea for six to ten months at a time.
    According to FA, Taiwan also has the largest tuna fishing
    fleet in the world.  Approximately six hundred ships bring
    in 100,000 tons of tuna a year.  Taiwan is also known for
    its building of super-seiner ships.  These ships are so
    large that the U.S., South Korea and Fiji have lobbied for a
    moratorium on their construction to help reduce over-
    fishing.

    Fisheries Administration (FA)
    ------------------------------

    ¶4. As reported in reftel A, in a meeting with AIT in
    November 2004, FA officials said they were increasing their
    efforts to save sea turtles.  They outlined specific
    efforts, including improving seaturtle bycatch data,
    implementing new gear modifications and educating fishermen.
    In August 2005, AIT did an extensive review of what Taiwan
    has done about sea turtle conservation.  AIT looked at
    Taiwan's efforts in three areas:  collecting data on sea
    turtle bycatch; introducing gear modification; and educating
    and reaching out to fishermen.  Little progress has been
    made in any of the three areas.

    Sea Turtle Bycatch Data Unreliable
    ----------------------------------

    ¶5. Taiwan's sea turtle bycatch data is both lacking and
    inadequate.  While observers from FA claim that the data has
    been collected but not collated, the fact remains that no
    published Taiwan data on sea turtle bycatch is available for
    either 2004 or 2005.  Furthermore, information that is
    available suggests that what data has been collected is
    unreliable.  According to Dr Chen Tian Hsi, a scientist who
    is currently responsible for reporting bycatch data for FA,
    the data for 2002 and 2003 is not useful for statistical
    purposes.  In his words, "The field is too small to be able
    to extrapolate sea turtle bycatch.  Also, most of the sea
    turtle bycatch occurs in the East Pacific, and FA did not
    send any observers there." In the last four years FA has
    sent between three to six observers a year to monitor
    Taiwan's fishing vessels.

    ¶6.  Prior to 2004, FA had a contract with Dr. Cheng I Jiunn
    of National Ocean University to collect sea turtle data.
    Dr. Cheng agrees that Taiwan's data is unreliable and told
    AIT that FA discharged him in 2002 over a disagreement in
    methodology used to obtain sea turtle bycatch data.  FA
    insisted it collect the data from the observers and give Dr.
    Cheng the finished results.  However, Dr. Cheng insisted
    that the observers report to him directly and provide him
    with the raw data.  FA instead stopped funding Dr. Cheng.
    Dr. Cheng told AIT "I told them that I could not put my name
    on this research because it was not done properly." Dr.
    Cheng believes that FA sanitizes any sea turtle data that
    might reflect poorly on its operations.
    ¶7. AIT asked FA's director of Deep Sea Fisheries, Tsay Tzu
    Yaw about sea turtle bycatch information for 2004 and 2005.
    Tsay said that FA would not release that information because

    SIPDIS
    it is sensitive. The information would only be available at
    international meetings when requested.

    Gear Modification: Circle Hooks and Turtle Excluder Devices
    --------------------------------------------- --------------

    ¶8. Taiwan has also failed to make notable progress in gear
    modification.  As noted in reftel B, circle hooks are larger
    fish hooks that are designed to decrease sea turtle bycatch.
    Traditional hooks are smaller and more likely to cause harm
    to sea turtles.  Extensive studies by the National Oceanic
    and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has shown that circle
    hooks can decrease sea turtle bycatch rates by 90% without
    affecting fish-catch rates.  Turtle excluder devices (TEDS)
    are devices designed for shrimp trawlers.  The TEDS provide
    an escape hatch for sea turtles so they do not drown when
    caught in a shrimp net.

    ¶9. Taiwan has neither introduced circle hooks to the fishing
    fleet nor TEDS to shrimp trawlers.  Dr. Cheng Tien Hsi told
    AIT that additional research is needed to determine whether
    circle hooks or TEDS would make any difference on sea turtle
    bycatch.  His opinion was echoed by Tsay Tzu Yaw, the
    director of Deep Sea Fisheries for FA. Tsay said that the
    cost of modifying all ships was prohibitive when only a
    small number of ships will interact with sea turtles.

    Outreach to fisherman
    ---------------------

    ¶10. The November 2004 FAO Technical meeting on Sea Turtle
    Bycatch, at which Taiwan was an observer, recommended that
    governments provide equipment and training to allow
    fishermen to dehook and release sea turtles that are caught.
    Nonetheless, FA does not provide any equipment or train
    fisherman on how to release incidentally caught sea turtles.

    ¶11. According to three observers from FA, Taiwan fishermen
    might be inclined to save sea turtles if given proper
    training and equipment. Sea turtles are considered gods in
    Taiwanese folklore and it is believed that killing or
    injuring a sea turtle can bring bad luck to the ship and its
    crew.  The observers believed fishermen would be implement
    measures to protect sea turtles if provided the training and
    equipment.

    International Criticism Leads to Taiwan to Increase
    Observers
    --------------------------------------------- ------

    ¶12.  Taiwan's participation in international fisheries
    organizations, has led it to make some progress. FA has
    hired more observers to meet its obligations under
    international fisheries organizations such as International
    Commission on the Conservation Atlantic Tuna (ICATT) and the
    Convention on Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT).
    ICATT and CCSBT have criticized Taiwan for its lack of data
    on its tuna fishing fleet.  As a result, FA's goal is to
    eventually hire between thirty to sixty observers to collect
    data on Taiwan's tuna fleet.  In 2005, FA has increased the
    number of observers in its fishing operations from 3 to 24.
    FA Officials have also promised to begin using circle hooks
    by the end of 2005.

    ¶13. Comment:  To date, Taiwan has done little to address sea
    turtle bycatch in its international fishing operations.  It
    is particularly troubling that, at this late stage, Taiwan
    still calls for more research and tries to avoid sharing
    "sensitive" turtle bycatch data with AIT.  Nonetheless,
    criticism from international fisheries organizations for
    failure to conform to international fishing norms
    (particularly in ICAAT) has led Taiwan to promise to start
    using circle hooks and to hire more observers to collect
    data from fishing operations.  More observers may help to
    improve the data being collected on incidental bycatch of
    sea turtles, birds and other species.  For Taiwan's data to
    be reliable, however, increased international pressure is
    needed to ensure Taiwan does not "sanitize" its data.
    Taiwan also needs to be monitored to ensure it does indeed
    start using circle hooks and starts to educate its fishermen
    on preventing sea turtle bycatch. Post recommends that this
    issue be put on the agenda at the next AIT/TECRO bilateral
    meeting on fisheries.  End comment.

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