May 18, 2016
No. 123
The Chinese Taipei Trust Fund, dedicated to fish conservation and management, and to helping developing Pacific countries expand their fishing industries, will begin operation this year, with US$2 million earmarked for a five-year period.
The ROC announced establishment of the fund in December 2014 at the 11th Regular Session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC). Required procedures with the WCPFC Secretariat have recently been completed, and the ROC will dispatch coordinators to work with the Secretariat to carry out fund projects.
The fund will help WCPFC implement conservation and management measures in the spirit of the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean and related resolutions.
Financial, scientific, and technological assistance provided through the fund will also be used to support the efforts of developing member nations to upgrade their fishing industries, an area in which the ROC, as a founding member of the WCPFC, has been very active. As members of the Commission, these island states will be able to accelerate their personnel and technical development, and enhance their monitoring, control, and surveillance capabilities, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of the maritime resources covered by the Convention.
The WCPFC aims to promote a responsible fisheries mechanism in the Pacific Ocean and boost the sustainable management of marine resources by nurturing, protecting, and managing highly migratory fish, such as tuna. The Convention entered into force on June 19, 2004, and the ROC acceded to the WCPFC on November 2 the same year, subsequently sending representatives to the Commission’s inaugural meeting.
ROC participation in the body has helped protect the extensive interests of its fishermen in the region. The Chinese Taipei Trust Fund will contribute to the ROC’s fulfillment of it international responsibilities as a deep-sea fishing nation and strengthen its participation in this regional fisheries management organization.
The ROC will continue to work through the fund to bolster cooperation and exchanges with other WCPFC members on conserving marine resources.(E)