Taipei: Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency has dismissed allegations from environmental group Greenpeace regarding illegal shark fishing activities by Taiwan-flagged vessels in the North Pacific Ocean.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Fisheries Agency Deputy Director Lin Ting-jung addressed reporters, stating that Greenpeace had “misunderstood” the situation, as the area in question is a “voluntary closed zone” designated for specific vessels and not under formal legal restrictions.
In its press release, the agency clarified that since 2021, the area has been accessible for trial fishing by certain vessels to gather scientific data, aligning with Taiwan’s progressive shark conservation measures in the Western and Central Pacific. This trial access was granted following repeated demands from the fishing industry to lift seasonal bans, with the condition that vessels comply with shark management measures established by regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs).
The agency emphasized that it would continue with the current regulatory approach unless evidence emerges proving the area to be a shark nursery or until the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) enacts official closures or time-based bans.
According to a Greenpeace statement released on Tuesday, the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior observed four Taiwan-flagged longline vessels fishing in a seasonal closed zone from August 4-10 last year. The environmental organization claimed to have captured over 10 hours of footage that showed at least 39 sharks being caught, including the endangered shortfin mako, suggesting that sharks were the primary target.
Greenpeace criticized the Fisheries Agency for not enforcing conservation rules despite having a 24-hour vessel monitoring center since 2017. Huang Hsin-yi, a marine project director with Greenpeace, noted that no fines had been issued for violations of seasonal shark bans between 2017 and 2025, despite the agency’s capability to monitor such activities.
Huang warned that illegal high seas fishing could tarnish Taiwan’s international reputation and called on the agency to conduct systematic inspections, release vessel tracking data for third-party monitoring, and establish an electronic observer system similar to those used globally. Huang stated, “If the government chooses not to investigate or neglects to deal with it, it will be tantamount to tacitly allowing illegal catches to enter the market.”
In response, the Fisheries Agency noted that Taiwan currently prohibits fishing of several shark species, including the whale shark, basking shark, megamouth shark, and great white shark. Additionally, international bodies such as the WCPFC and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission ban the catch of oceanic whitetip sharks, silky sharks, mobular rays, and manta rays.