漁業署與社團法人中華民國野鳥學會及英國皇家鳥類保護協會(Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, RSPB)於109年針對「臺灣海鳥混獲忌避措施計畫」進行合作，針對適合我國籍作業漁船之避鳥繩設計及最佳實踐進行試驗。參與本次研究計畫之2艘印度洋鮪延繩釣漁船及3艘太平洋鮪延繩釣漁船已陸續於110年及111年返臺，目前參與合作計畫之專家學者正針對該等5艘漁船觀察員所記錄資料展開研究分析工作，期許研究成果將有助改善臺灣漁船使用的避鳥繩設計，提升海鳥混獲忌避措施有效性。
漁業署表示，臺灣是全球重要鮪延繩釣漁業國之一，鮪延繩釣漁船在高緯度海域作業時，具意外捕獲信天翁等海鳥之可能性，為降低海鳥生存威脅，我國身為許多區域性漁業管理組織(RFMO)的一員，積極參與各會議有關減緩海鳥混獲議題之討論，並將RFMO所通過之相關海鳥忌避措施國內法化，要求我國作業漁船應採取3種海鳥忌避措施中至少2種，包括裝置避鳥繩、支繩加重及夜間投餌等忌避措施。
漁業署進一步表示，除積極參與政府間國際組織外，漁業署過去曾與社團法人中華民國野鳥學會、英國皇家鳥類保護協會及國際鳥盟(BirdLife International, BLI)進行交流及合作，例如在93年及102年分別舉辦「降低鮪延繩釣混獲海鳥技術研討會」及「減緩海鳥混獲工作研討會」，並於105年及107年在模里西斯路易士港進行「港口教育宣導計畫」(Port-Based Outreach, PBO)，提供產官學界交流平臺，以善盡保育海鳥之責任。漁業署近期計與社團法人中華民國野鳥學會及英國皇家鳥類保護協會再次合作，編撰「台灣遠洋漁業觀察員海鳥辨識手冊」以提供我國觀察員目擊海鳥辨種之輔助工具。
漁業署最後強調，漁業產業之永續經營，應是在漁業資源永續利用，與海洋生態環境及海洋生物多樣性妥善保育間取得平衡，漁業署未來將持續與社團法人中華民國野鳥學會、英國皇家鳥類保護協會等國內外社團針對海鳥混獲相關議題持續交流合作，齊心齊力保育海鳥資源。
The Fisheries Agency Worked Collaboration on Seabird Bycatch Mitigation with Domestic and Foreign Bird Conservation Societies
In 2020, the Fisheries Agency opened up collaboration with Taiwan Wild Bird Federation (TWBF) and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) on “Seabird Bycatch Mitigation Project,” to carry out experiments on a suitable design and best practice of tori line for our fishing vessels. The vessels participating in the project, which are two Indian and three Pacific longline fishing vessels, have successively finished their trips back to Taiwan in 2021 and 2022. The expertise and scholars participating in the project are currently conducting research and analysis work on the data collected by the observers on board these five vessels. It is anticipated that the research outcome will bring the benefits to the improvement on the design of tori line used by fishing vessels flagged Taiwan, and will enhance the effectiveness of seabird bycatch mitigation.
The Fisheries Agency states that, Taiwan is one of the world’s important tuna longline fishing nations. It has the potential for the tuna longline fishing vessels to bycatch seabirds like albatross as operating at high latitudes. To decrease the threat on seabird survival, as a participant of many reginal fishery management organizations (RFMO), the Fisheries Agency has actively involved in the discussions on seabird mitigation issues at each conference and make relevant seabird mitigation measures adopted by the RFMOs being legalized domestically, to require our fishing vessels conduct at least two of the three seabird mitigation measures, including tori lines, line weighting and night setting.
The Fisheries Agency further states that, besides its active participation in inter-governmental international organizations, to fulfill its responsibility of seabird conservation, the Fisheries Agency has worked and collaborated with TWBF, RSPB and BLI before, such as the seabird mitigation workshops in 2004 and 2013, and Port-Based Outreach (PBO) at Port Louis in Mauritius in 2016 and 2018, which address platforms for industry, government and academia. In the near future, the Fisheries Agency is planning to collaborate again with TWBF and RSPB on composing a Seabird Id Guide to provide our observers with an additional tool for seabird species witness.
The Fisheries Agency lastly emphasizes that, for a sustainable fishery industry management, it is supposed to strike a balance between sustainable fishery resource utilization and proper marine ecological biodiversity conservation. The Fisheries Agency will continuously work and collaborate with TWBF, RSPB and domestic or foreign bird conservation societies on related seabird bycatch issues, to engage together in seabird resources conservation.
