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Chapter I General Principles
Article 1
These Regulations are hereby established pursuant to Article 6,
paragraph 2; Article 10, paragraph 2; Article 11, paragraph 3;
and Article 24, paragraph 2 of the Act for Distant Water
Fisheries (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”).
Article 2
Terms used in these Regulations are defined as follows:
(1)“Tuna longline fishing vessel” means any fishing vessel
targeting highly migratory fish species such as tunas,
billfishes, sharks, skipjacks or mahi mahi with longline
fishing gears.
(2)“Indian Ocean” means the waters of the Indian Ocean
bounded by the following line: from the south coast of South
Africa due south along the 20°E to its intersection with
the 45°S; thence due east along the 45°S to its intersection
with the 80°E; thence due south along the 80°E to its
intersection with the 55°S; thence due east along the 55°S
to its intersection with the 150°E; thence due north along
the 150°E to its intersection with the coast of Australia;
thence in a westerly direction round the south, the west and
the northwest coasts of Australia to a point at 129°E;
thence due north along the 129°E to its intersection with
8°S; thence due west along the 8°S to its intersection with
113°28'E; thence due north alone with the 113°28'E to the
south coast of Java at 8°23'S; thence in a westerly
direction along the coasts of Java and Sumatra; thence round
the coast of Sumatra running south in the Strait of
Malacca; thence across the Strait at 2°30'N to meet the coast
of Malay Peninsula; thence due north along the 2°30'N of the
west coast of Malay Peninsula; thence along the coasts to
the intersection between the south coast of South Africa and
20°E. The area is as shown in Appendix 1.
(3)Independent third party” means any of the following
institutions recognized by the competent authority:
i.For Japan:
(i)Shinken Corporation.
(ii)Nippon Kaiji Kentei Kyokai, Incorporated Association.
ii.For areas excluding Japan: the verifying institution
which obtains the accreditation for management system
certification from the Taiwan Accreditation Foundation
(TAF).
(4)“Carrier vessel” means the following vessels that conduct
the transshipment of catches from tuna longline fishing
vessel(s) to itself and transports to ports:
i.‘Carrier vessel of the Republic of China’ refers to the
carrier vessel which has the fishing license of the Republic
of China.
ii.‘Foreign carrier vessel’ refers to the carrier vessel,
excluding container vessel, which has the valid nationality
certificate of the flag State of a foreign country.
Article 3
Fishing vessels proceeding to the Indian Ocean to catch highly
migratory species such as, tunas, billfishes, sharks, skipjack,
or mahi mahi shall be limited to tuna longline fishing vessels
of 20 Gross Tonnage (GT) and above.
“Regulations for Fishing Vessels Conducting Southern Bluefin
Tuna Fishery” shall also be applied to any tuna longline
fishing vessel catching southern bluefin tuna.
Article 4
Fishing areas for tuna longline fishing vessels of 100 GT and
above (hereinafter referred to as “large scale longliners”)
fishing in the Indian Ocean are divided as follows:
(1)Bigeye tuna fishing area: the Indian Ocean north of 30°S,
excluding the high risk area of piracy which is bounded by
the following lines: from the east coast of Kenya due east
along the 4°S to its intersection with 44°E; thence due
northeast to the intersection between the equator and the
49°E; thence to the intersection between the 15°N and the
61°E; thence due west along the 15°N to the west off the east
coast of Yeman. The area is as shown in Appendix 2.
(2)Oilfish fishing area: the Indian Ocean south of 30°S. The
area is as shown in Appendix 3.
(3)Albacore tuna fishing area: the Indian Ocean west of 75°E and
south of 15°S; and east of 75°E and south of 10°S. The area
is as shown in Appendix 4.
The fishing area for tuna longline fishing vessels of 20 GT and
above and less than 100 GT (hereinafter referred to as “small
scale longliners”) in the Indian Ocean is the Indian Ocean
except for the high risk area of piracy. The area is as shown
in Appendix 5.
Any small scale longliner shall not fish in the area south of
28°S and east of 65°E from April to September every year.
Tuna longline fishing vessels shall fish only within the
fishing area(s) permitted by the competent authority.
Article 5
Tuna longling fishing vessels proceeding to the Indian Ocean
for fishing operation are categorized, in accordance with the
GT, catch species and operation patterns, into the following
groups:
(1)For large scale longliners:
i.Bigeye tuna group: bigeye tuna as the target species.
ii.Albacore tuna group: albacore tuna as the target species.
(2)For small scale longliners:
i.Frozen yellowfin tuna group: the fishing vessel with
freezing equipment which has more individual vessel quota
of bigeye tuna than the fishing vessel of general group.
ii.General group: no specific target species.
Article 6
Limits on the number of tuna longline fishing vessels fishing
in the Indian Ocean are as follows:
(1)For large scale longliners:
i.Bigeye tuna group: the number of fishing vessels is limited
to 153.
ii.Albacore tuna group: the number of fishing vessels is
limited to 37.
(2)For small scale longliners:
i.Frozen yellowfin tuna group: the number is limited to 36.
ii.General group: the number is limited to 350.
Chapter II Application and Issuance of the Distant Water
Fisheries Permit
Article 7
Any distant water fisheries operator intending to apply for the
distant water fisheries permit(s) for his/her fishing vessel(s)
to fish in the Indian Ocean in the following year shall fill in
the application form, formats of which are as shown in Appendix
6 to 8, in accordance with types of fishing vessels and groups
and submit it with the following documents:
(1)A copy of the valid fishing license which shall contain the
International Maritime Organization (IMO) ship identification
number.
(2)The document certified by the commissioned professional
institution that the automatic location communicator (ALC) on
board the fishing vessel can regularly and normally transmit
vessel positions.
(3)The document certified by the commissioned professional
institution that the electronic logbook (E-logbook) system on
board the fishing vessel can normally transmit catch data.
Article 8
Any fishing vessel that applies for the distant water fisheries
permit of the bigeye tuna group for the following year shall
meet any of the following conditions:
(1)It belongs to the bigeye tuna group in the current year with
the competent authority’s approval.
(2)It is a newly built fishing vessel which has received the
replacement tonnage of a fishing vessel of the bigeye tuna
group or of the bigeye tuna group concurrently conducting
part-time fishing for albacore or yellowfin tuna.
Any fishing vessel that applies for the distant water fisheries
permit of the albacore tuna group for the following year shall
meet any of the following conditions:
(1)It belongs to the albacore tuna group in the current year
with the competent authority’s approval.
(2)It is a newly built fishing vessel which has received the
replacement tonnage of a fishing vessel of the albacore tuna
group.
(3)It is a fishing vessel with a fishing license of longline
fishery which were formerly authorized to fish in the Indian
Ocean and also authorized to operate non tuna longline
fishery under fisheries cooperation with a foreign country.
Article 9
For the application of the distant water fisheries permit of the
following year, the documents prescribed in Article 7 shall be
submitted in accordance with the following procedures and
deadline:
(1)For any distant water fisheries operator of large scale
longliner(s) that is a member of the Taiwan Deep Sea Tuna
Boat-owners and Exporters Association (hereinafter referred
to as “Tuna Association”), it shall apply to the Tuna
Association before October 15 of the current year, which
shall compile the applications in accordance with the groups
for delivery to the competent authority before October 31
of the current year.
(2)For any distant water fisheries operator of large scale
longliner(s) that is not a member of the Tuna Association,
he/she shall apply to the competent authority before October
31 of the current year.
(3)For any distant water fisheries operator of small scale
longliner(s) that is a member of the Taiwan Tuna Longline
Association (hereinafter referred to as “Longline
Association”), he/she shall apply to the Longline
Association before October 15 of the current year. The
Longline Association shall compile the applications in
accordance with the groups and deliver to the competent
authority before October 31 of the current year.
(4)For any distant water fisheries operator of small scale
longliner(s) that is not a member of the Longline
Association, he/she shall apply to the competent authority
before October 31.
(5)For any distant water fisheries operator of carrier
vessel(s) of the Republic of China, he/she shall apply to
the competent authority before October 31 of the current
year.
Article 10
In the event that the number of fishing vessels applying for
the distant water fisheries permits of the bigeye tuna or
albacore tuna group exceeds the limit of respective group, the
Tuna Association shall draw lots to decide the priority in an
equitable and impartial manner.
In the event that the number of fishing vessels applying for
the general group exceeds the limit, the competent authority
shall draw lots to decide the priority in an equitable and
impartial manner.
Article 11
For any fishing vessel applying for the distant water fisheries
permit of the frozen yellowfin tuna group, the competent
authority shall come up with a list of vessel priority in
accordance with the following sequence of priority:
(1)First priority: the fishing vessel was formerly approved by
the competent authority as the frozen yellowfin tuna group
in the Indian Ocean and has not lost such qualification; or
the fishing vessel is newly built which has received the
replacement tonnage of a tuna longline fishing vessel of
the frozen yellowfin tuna group in the Indian Ocean.
(2)Second priority: the fishing vessel was formerly approved
by the competent authority as the frozen yellowfin tuna
group in the Pacific Ocean and has not lost such
qualification.
(3)Third priority: the fishing vessel was the small scale
longliner which is approved as the general group in the
current year in the Indian Ocean.
In the event that the number of applying fishing vessels in the
preceding paragraphs exceeds the limits, the competent
authority shall draw lots to decide the priority in an
equitable and impartial manner.
In the event that the number of fishing vessels which obtain
the distant water fisheries permits of the frozen yellowfin
tuna group does not reach the limit of the current year, the
vacancy shall be filled pursuant to the sequence of priority
prescribed in the preceding two paragraphs, and the competent
authority may announce in due course to accept applications,
notwithstanding the application deadline prescribed in Article
9.
Article 12
The distant water fisheries operator who has obtained the
distant water fisheries permit of bigeye tuna group may apply
to the competent authority to fish in the oilfish fishing area
in the current year, notwithstanding the application procedures
and deadline prescribed in Article 9.
Article 13
In case of any of the following conditions, the distant water
fisheries operator may submit the documents prescribed in
Article 7 and apply for the distant water fisheries permit to
the competent authority, notwithstanding the application
procedures and deadline prescribed in Article 9:
(1)The distant water fisheries operator of a fishing vessel has
changed;
(2)The distant water fisheries operator has obtained the
fishing license for the chartered fishing vessel;
(3)The distant water fisheries operator has obtained the
fishing license for the newly-built fishing vessel;
(4)The distant water fisheries operator who resumes the
operation after the suspension of the operation authorized
pursuant to Article 11 of the Fisheries Act has expired;
(5)The distant water fisheries operator applies for the renewal
of the expired fishing license; or
(6)The suspension of the fishing license has been executed
completely.
Article 14
A certificate of distant water fisheries permit will be issued
to the application approved by the competent authority. The
maximum period of validity of the permit shall be one year,
and shall not exceed that of the fishing license.
The certificate of distant water fisheries permit shall record,
both in Chinese and English, the following:
(1)The number of the certificate;
(2)The name, CT number, GT, length overall (LOA) and fisheries
type of the fishing vessel;
(3)Name of the distant water fisheries operator;
(4)The authorized fishing Ocean, group, fishing area(s), and
fishing period;
(5)The International Radio Call Sign (IRCS); and
(6)The IMO ship identification number.
The distant water fisheries operator shall place onboard the
fishing vessel a copy of the valid distant water fisheries
permit in case of inspection.
Article 15
Fishing vessels intending to interchange the groups or fishing
Oceans shall apply for the approval from the competent
authority.
In the event that a large scale longliner intends to change the
group or fishing Ocean with other fishing vessel, the following
provisions shall be met:
(1)Distant water fisheries operators of both vessels are
members of the Tuna Association;
(2)Both vessels have the valid certificates of distant water
fisheries permits;
(3)The fishing vessel intending to change to the bigeye tuna
group shall be equipped with ultra-low temperature devices,
and its distant water fisheries operator has made a
guarantee letter to assume the duty from the original
fishing vessel of bigeye tuna group to pay the reimbursement
of the vessel reduction program; and
(4)The penalty of suspending the fishing license has been
completely executed.
Small scale longliners are allowed to only the interchange of
groups between the frozen yellowfin tuna group of the Pacific
Ocean and that of the Indian Ocean.
For any fishing vessel approved to change the group or fishing
Ocean, documents shall be provided to prove the fish holds have
been empted and the certificate of the distant water fisheries
permit originally issued shall be returned for the issuance of
the new certificate of distant water fisheries permit after the
change of fishing Ocean or group.
Chapter III Fishing Vessel and Fishing Gear Markings
Article 16
Fishing vessels shall be marked with vessel markings,
including, at least, the Chinese and English vessel name, name
of registry port, CT numbers and IRCS. The characters and the
edges of characters shall maintain clear and identifiable at
all times.
Where fishing vessels are fishing or berthing at ports, the
IRCS shall be displayed clearly identifiable for the sighting
by other vessels from the water surface or airplanes from the
air.
Article 17
The IRCS of a fishing vessel is its radio call sign.
Vessel markings shall be painted with marine-specific paint.
Characters of the Chinese vessel name shall be block letters,
and the numbers may be Arabic numerals. Characters of the
English vessel name, CT numbers and the IRCS shall be capital
letters and Arabic numerals. The height, width, and colors of
characters shall meet the specifications as shown in
Appendix 9.
Article 18
Vessel markings shall be placed in accordance with the
following:
(1)The Chinese vessel name shall be placed on the port bow and
the starboard bow, and the center of stern or port quarter
or starboard quarter, where the vessel name is clearly
visible.
(2)The English vessel name shall be placed on the port bow and
the starboard bow, and the center of stern or port quarter
or starboard quarter, under the Chinese vessel name.
(3)The CT numbers shall be placed on the port bow and the
straboard bow, under the English vessel name.
(4)The IRCS shall be placed above the waterline on both sides
of any fishing vessels and on a deck where the IRCS is not
obscured by fishing gear(s), and shall be clear of the bow,
stern, discharge or areas which might be prone to damage or
discoloration. In case that the lowest edge of characters is
under the waterline when the fish holds are full, the IRCS
shall be placed on the fishing vessel’s superstructure.
Article 19
Fishing gear(s) of any tuna longline fishing vessel shall be
equipped with signal flags, radar reflector buoys or other
similar devices so as to identify the position(s) and fishing
area(s).
The devices as referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be
marked with the same CT number or IRCS as the tuna longline
fishing vessel concerned.
Chapter IV Fishing Gears and Methods, and Mitigation Measures
for Incidental Catch
Article 20
For any tuna longline fishing vessel navigating through the
water under national jurisdiction of any foreign country, all
fishing equipment on board shall be stowed and secured, and
such vessel shall not conduct activities such as arrangement
of fishing gears or fishing, except that it has engaged in
fisheries cooperation with the foreign country concerned.
Article 21
Any tuna longline fishing vessel shall carry on board the line
cutter, de-hooker and scoop/dip net, formats of which are as
shown in Appendix 10, to release incidentally caught seabirds
and sea turtles.
Article 22
Any longline fishing vessel fishing in the Indian Ocean south
of 25°S shall employ at least two of the following three
seabird bycatch mitigation measures, the specifications of
which are as shown in Appendix 11, and shall record the
mitigation measures taken during each fishing operation on the
E-logbook and logbooks:
(1)Night setting with minimum deck lighting.
(2)Tori lines.
(3)Weighted branch lines.
Chapter V Catch Limits or Quotas
Article 23
For the purpose of these Regulations, the species with catch
limit (hereinafter referred to as “fish species with catch
limit”) as referred to in subparagraph (7) of Article 13,
paragraph 1 of the Act means bigeye tuna and yellowfin tuna.
Article 24
The annual total catch quota (unprocessed round weight,
hereinafter the same when referring to “quota” in the
following provisions) of the Republic of China in the Indian
Ocean and the quota for individual tuna longline fishing
vessel shall be promulgated by the competent authority in
accordance with the conservation and management measures.
The annual total catch quota of the species with catch limit
shall be allocated to the large scale longliners and small
scale longliners in accordance with the following percentage:
(1)Bigeye tuna: 85.7% for large scale longliners, and 14.3%
for small scale longliners.
(2)Yellowfin tuna: 43% for large scale longliners, and 57% for
small scale longliners.
In the event that the total catch amount of a species with
catch limit has reached 95% of the annual total catch quota as
referred to in paragraph 1, the competent authority may order
the whole tuna longline fishing fleet to stop catching the
concerned species by a deadline.
In the event that the total catch amount has reached 95% of the
quota allocated to large or small scale longliners fleet as
referred to in paragraph 2, the competent authority may order
the large or small scale longliners fleet to stop catching the
concerned species by a deadline.
The period for using the quota as referred to in paragraph 1
shall be from January 1 to December 31 of the current year.
The total remaining quota of the current year in the Indian
Ocean may be arranged by the competent authority.
Article 25
The distant water fisheries permit of the current year shall
be obtained for granting the quota of the current year to the
tuna longline fishing vessel.
For any tuna longline fishing vessel that has not obtained the
distant water fisheries permit of the entire year, the quota
shall be granted in accordance with the percentage that the
number of month(s) approved accounts for the whole year.
Notwithstanding such provision, in the event that the ownership
of any tuna longline fishing vessel transfers and the quota
used by the original distant water fisheries operator exceeds
the percentage that the number of month(s) approved accounts
for the whole year, the unused quota of such vessel in the
current year shall be granted to the new distant water
fisheries operator.
In case of any of the following circumstances, the competent
authority shall retrieve the unused quota of the tuna longline
fishing vessel concerned in the current year:
(1)Loss of a tuna longline fishing vessel.
(2)Revocation or withdrawal of the fishing license imposed by
the competent authority.
(3)Revocation or withdrawal of the distant water fisheries
permit imposed by the competent authority.
Article 26
The catch amount of the fish species with catch limit for any
tuna longline fishing vessel shall not exceed the quota
allocated to the individual vessel for the current year. In
case of excess, the annual quota of such fishing vessel for
the following year shall be deducted accordingly.
In the event that the catch amount of the fish species with
catch limit of any tuna longline fishing vessel has reached
90% of the individual vessel quota, the competent authority
may order such vessel to stop catching the concerned species
by a deadline.
Article 27
In case of any of the following conditions, the competent
authority shall grant the quota of the current year in
accordance with the percentage that the number of month(s) the
tuna longline fishing vessel actual fishes accounts for the
whole year; shall retrieve the quota on a pro-rata basis from
the tuna longline fishing vessel which has been granted the
quota; or shall deduct the quota allocated for the following
year in the event that the quota is unable to be retrieved from
the vessel:
(1)The tuna longline fishing vessel is punished by the
competent authority of the suspension of the fishing license
for one month and above.
(2)The tuna longline fishing vessel is detained in the port by
foreign government.
Article 28
Any small scale longliner shall not target bigeye tuna.
The targeting of bigeye tuna as referred to in the preceding
paragraph means the bigeye tuna catch amount of the fishing
vessel during six months exceeds over 50% of its total catch
amount of the same period.
Article 29
For any tuna longline fishing vessel which changes the fishing
Ocean or group with other vessel pursuant to Article 15, its
individual vessel quota for the remaining period of its permit
shall be the remaining quota of that other vessel, and its
annual individual vessel quota of bigeye tuna shall be limited
as follows:
(1)For any large scale longliner: 330 metric tons.
(2)For any fishing vessel of the frozen yellowfin tuna group:
40 metric tons.
Article 30
In the event that the following requirements are met, the
bigeye tuna quota of a fishing vessel of the bigeye tuna group
may, through the coordination of the Tuna Association which
reports to the competent authority for approval, be transferred
to other fishing vessel(s) of the bigeye tuna group:
(1)The bigeye tuna quota of the receiving fishing vessel shall
not exceed 330 metric tons after the transfer; and
(2)Both the transferring and receiving fishing vessels shall
not have been imposed upon any punishment pursuant to
Article 35, 36 or 40 of the Act in the current year.
(3)In case that the transferring or receiving fishing vessel
has been imposed upon a fine or the suspension of the
fishing license pursuant to Article 41 of the Act in the
current year, such punishment has been paid or executed
completely.
In the event that any fishing vessel of the bigeye tuna group
has transferred accumulated 30 metric tons of bigeye tuna
quota, it shall enter into a port for stop fishing for one
month in the current year; for the transfer of accumulated 60
metric tons of bigeye tuna quota, it shall enter into a port
for stop fishing for two months, and so forth.
For the fishing vessel entering into a port for stop fishing in
accordance with the preceding paragraph, the starting and
ending dates of the period and the berthing location shall be
specified at the time when applying for the approval of
transferring quota from the competent authority.
The individual vessel quota of yellowfin tuna may, with the
approval of the competent authority, be transferred to other
fishing vessel(s). After such transfer, the total yellowfin
tuna quota of a receiving large scale longliner shall not
exceed 100 metric tons, and that of a receiving small scale
longliner shall not exceed 90 metric tons.
Article 31
The competent authority may, after July of each year, announce
the additional bigeye tuna quota that can be applied for.
Any tuna longline fishing vessel of the bigeye tuna group or
the frozen yellowfin tuna group applying for the additional
quota as referred to in the preceding paragraph shall use its
individual vessel quota of bigeye tuna for up to 70%.
The maximum additional quota for each fishing vessel as
referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be 70 metric tons
for the fishing vessel of bigeye tuna group and 40 metric tons
for that of frozen yellowfin tuna group.
The additional bigeye tuna quota acquired in accordance with
paragraph 2 shall not be transferred.
Article 32
The competent authority may grant premium quota to the catching
vessel which cooperates with the competent authority to carry
out relevant experiments, researches or management measures.
The premium quota as referred to in the preceding paragraph
shall not be transferred.
Chapter VI Management of Vessel Position Reporting
Article 33
The ALC on board shall be maintained functional at all time,
whether at sea or in port.
The ALC on board any fishing vessel shall automatically
transmit at least one vessel position in every hour.
Fees for the services and communications of the ALC shall be
borne by distant water fisheries operators. The competent
authority may subsidize depending on the financial situation of
the government.
Except for the purpose of repair or replacement approved by the
competent authority, any ALC which has been installed on board
and has transmitted a vessel position shall not be removed
from the fishing vessel.
Article 34
In case that a fishing vessel needs to stay in a domestic port
for three days and above; or in a foreign port for dry docking;
or in a foreign port for seven days and above, its distant
water fisheries operator may apply to the competent authority
with documentary proof for switching off the ALC, which may
only be switched off after obtaining approval.
In the case of a fishing vessel applying for switching off the
ALC during its stay in a foreign port for the purposes except
for dry docking, a photograph showing the berthing of such
fishing vessel shall be provided weekly. The competent
authority may order to switch on the ALC concerned in case of
failing to provide the photograph in due course.
The period of switching off the ALC as approved in accordance
with paragraph 1 shall not exceed six months for each
application. Extension may be applied by the distant water
fisheries operator concerned in accordance with paragraph 1
before the period is expired.
Any fishing vessel shall not leave the port during the period
of switching off the ALC.
In the event that the ALC onboard is rebooted, the fishing
vessel may only leave the port after the commissioned
professional institution has confirmed that such ALC can
regularly and normally transmit vessel positions.
Article 35
Any fishing vessel of 100 GT and above shall carry at least
one spare set of ALC on board.
In case that the identification number of ALC on board has
been changed, the distant water fisheries operator shall
notify the competent authority or the commissioned professional
institution in writing.
Article 36
The ALC is deemed as signal-lost in the event that the
commissioned professional institution has not received
positions automatically transmitted by the ALC four times
consecutively for any fishing vessel. In the event that the
ALC is signal-lost for three consecutive days, it is deemed as
mal-function.
The malfunctioning ALC shall be repaired no later than 30 days.
In the event that the ALC on board is signal-lost or
mal-functional, the distant water fisheries operator or the
captain shall immediately send information related to vessel
positions by facsimile to the commissioned professional
institution and the vessel positions shall be recorded by
automatic recording satellite navigator for perusal in later
days. The format of the facsimile is as shown in Appendix 12.
The transmit of vessel positions as referred to in the
preceding paragraph shall be every four hours for any fishing
vessel.
For any fishing vessel with spare set of ALC on board, it shall
report to the competent authority of using the spare set
during the malfunction of the ALC. In case that the spare set
is also mal-functional, the spare set from other fishing vessel
may be deployed after obtaining the competent authority’s
approval.
Article 37
In the event that the ALC onboard is deemed as signal lost for
an accumulative period of 15 days and above during one fishing
trip, the competent authority may order such fishing vessel to
stop fishing immediately and directly navigate to a designated
port within the required timeframe for repair and inspection(s)
conducted by personnel dispatched by the competent authority,
and the vessel shall not leave the port until the commissioned
professional institution has confirmed that such ALC can
regularly and normally transmit vessel positions.
Any expense incurred from port return, port entry and
confirmation of position transmitting as referred to in the
preceding paragraph shall be borne by the distant water
fisheries operator.
Chapter VII Logbooks and Catch Reports
Article 38
In the event that any tuna longline fishing vessel leaves a
port, its captain shall daily report catch data through the
E-logbook system designated by the competent authority, and
shall also fill in the logbooks designated by the competent
authority by fishery types. Catch reports shall be filled in
completely and accurately, and where the catch amount is zero,
catch reports shall be filled in as well.
In case that there is any discrepancy between any datum
recorded in the E-logbook system and the logbook, the datum
recorded in the E-logbook system shall prevail. Where the datum
is only recorded in either the E-logbook system or the
logbook, the datum as recorded therein shall prevail.
In case that the E-logbook system fails to report catch data
on the day, the distant water fisheries operator or the captain
shall transmit catch data via facsimile to the competent
authority or the commissioned professional institution next
day. Such catch data shall be signed by the distant water
fisheries operator or the captain.
In the event that the E-logbook system fails to report catch
data for five consecutive days, it is deemed as mal-function.
The malfunctioning E-logbook system shall be repaired no
later than 30 days.
In the event that the E-logbook system onboard is deemed as
mal-functional for an accumulative period of 15 days and above
during one fishing trip, the competent authority may order such
fishing vessel to stop fishing immediately and directly
navigate to a designated port within the required timeframe for
repair and inspection(s) conducted by personnel dispatched by
the competent authority, and the vessel shall not leave the
port until the commissioned professional institution has
confirmed that such E-logbook system can normally transmit
data.
Any expense incurred from port return, port entry and
confirmation of E-logbook system as referred to in the
preceding paragraph shall be borne by the distant water
fisheries operator.
Article 39
Any tuna longline fishing vessel shall not catch southern
bluefin tuna without permission, and in case of bycatch, the
fishing vessel shall immediately discard such catch and record
the amount of discard in the logbooks and E-logbook system.
In the event that the quota of the fish species with catch
limit is exhausted, any tuna longline fishing vessel shall
immediately discard any subsequent catch of such species and
shall record the amount of discard on the logbooks and the
E-logbook system.
Article 40
In case that any tuna fishing vessel finds any sea turtle
during fishing operation, such vessel shall, where practicable,
bring aboard any comatose or inactive sea turtle as soon as
possible, and foster its recovery and return it to the sea at
once after recovery.
Any seabird, sea turtle, whale shark, cetacean, penguin or
prohibited species promulgated by the competent authority
incidentally caught by any tuna fishing vessel shall be
released when caught alive or discarded dead, and the number(s)
be duly recorded on the logbooks and the E-logbook system.
Article 41
The number(s) of any fish species of no economic value or no
utilizing value caught and discarded by any tuna fishing
vessel shall be released immediately, and number(s) discarded
shall be duly recorded on the logbooks and the E-logbook
system.
Article 42
The E-logbook data or the logbook(s) submitted shall not be
altered or amended, unless there is apparent content with the
data and the competent authority has approved.
Article 43
The complete logbooks shall be maintained on board any tuna
longline fishing vessel for at least one year.
In case that any tuna longline fishing vessel enters a port or
transships its catch at sea, a copy of the logbooks shall be
submitted to the competent authority for perusal in accordance
with the following timeframe:
(1)For port entry: within 60 days starting from the date the
fishing vessel enters the port.
(2)For transshipment at-sea: within 60 days starting from the
date the carrier vessel enters the port.
Article 44
For fish species with catch limit, the discrepancy between the
catch amount recorded in the E-logbook or the logbook during
one fishing trip of any tuna longline fishing vessel and the
actual landing amount shall not exceed 10% of the actual
landing amount. For fish species not under catch limit, such
discrepancy shall not exceed 25% of the actual landing amount.
In case of excess of the ratio as referred to in the preceding
paragraph, whereas the following provisions are met, it is
deemed that the catch amount recorded in the E-logbook or the
logbook corresponds with the actual landing amount:
(1)For species with catch limit, the discrepancy is less than
two metric tons.
(2)For species not under catch limit, the discrepancy is less
than six metric tons.
Article 45
Any of the following conditions shall be defined as “seriously
misreporting” as referred to in subparagraph (12) of Article
13, paragraph 1 of the Act:
(1)For fish species with catch limit, the discrepancy between
the catch amount recorded in the E-logbook or the logbook
and the actual landing amount exceeds two metric tons as
well as 20% of the actual landing amount.
(2)For fish species not under catch limit, the discrepancy
between the catch amount recorded in the E-logbook or the
logbook and the actual landing amount exceeds six metric
tons as well as 50% of the actual landing amount.
Chapter VIII Management of Shark Catch
Article 46
For any tuna longline fishing vessel employing ice chilling
method to preserve its sharks catches, shark fins shall not be
fully cut off and shall be naturally attached to the carcasses
(hereinafter referred to as “fins naturally attached”), and
such vessels shall not retain onboard, carry, transship, and
land shark catches whose fins are not naturally attached .
For any large scale longliner employing freezing method to
preserve its sharks catches and transporting such sharks
catches to land in a domestic port,, shark fins shall be
naturally attached.
For any small scale longliner employing freezing method to
preserve its sharks catches and transporting such sharks
catches to land in a domestic port, shark fins shall be
naturally attached or alternatively the dorsal fins and
pectoral fins shall be tied to the corresponding carcass,
while the caudal fins may be stored separately. The caudal
fins and carcasses shall be transshipped or landed
concurrently in the same shipment, and the number of caudal
fins shall be consistent with that of carcasses.
Article 47
Any fishing vessel employing freezing method to preserve
shark catches shall transship or land shark carcasses and
fins concurrently in the same shipment in case of at-sea
transshipment.
When sharks catches of the fishing vessels as referred to in
the preceding paragraph arrive at the first foreign port of
landing, the weight of fins shall not be more than 5% of the
weight of the shark catches.
Article 47-1
Tuna longline fishing vessels shall fully utilize the shark
catch, which shall not be discarded except the head, guts and
skins.
Chapter IX The Designation and Management of Ports for
Transshipment or Landing
Article 48
Any tuna longline fishing vessel intending to conduct
transshipment or landing in a domestic port or a foreign port
located in the Indian Ocean shall be limited to the ports
stipulated in Appendix 13.
Any fishing vessel with the distant water fisheries permit to
fish in the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean applying for landing or
transshipping in the ports as referred to in the preceding
paragraph shall apply for the authorization from the competent
authority 14 days before the fishing vessel enters into the
port.
Article 49
Any carrier vessel intending to transship catches from tuna
longline fishing vessel(s) shall meet any of the following
requirements:
(1)It is a carrier vessel of the Republic of China and has
obtained the distant water fisheries permit; or
(2)It is a foreign carrier vessel listed on the carrier list
of the India Ocean Tuna Commission (hereinafter referred to
as “IOTC”), and has been installed with the ALC which
meets the standards specified by the competent authority. At
least one position in every four hours shall be sent to the
commissioned professional institution.
Article 50
Any carrier vessel of the Republic of China shall not transship
with, refuel or supply any fishing vessel not listed in the
authorized fishing vessel list of IOTC, or any fishing vessel
that has altered its name or registration number.
Article 51
In case of any of the following circumstances, the competent
authority shall list the foreign carrier vessel concerned
which transships catches from tuna longline fishing vessel(s)
on the non-cooperative carriers list:
(1)The foreign carrier vessel has violated any provision
regarding vessel position reporting;
(2)The foreign carrier vessel has violated any provision
regarding transshipment or landing.
Article 52
Any tuna longline fishing vessel under 24 meters shall not
conduct transshipment at sea.
Article 53
Any carrier vessel intending to conduct transshipment at sea
shall receive an observer in accordance with the IOTC regional
observer program to conduct observation mission on board. For
any carrier vessel intending to conduct transshipment in port,
it shall receive the observer designated by the competent
authority to conduct observation mission on board.
Any distant water fisheries operator whose tuna longline
fishing vessel(s) conducts transshipment at sea in the Indian
Ocean shall share the cost for the implementation of the IOTC
regional observer program.
Article 54
For any carrier vessel intending to transship at sea, the
distant water fisheries operator shall submit the transshipment
plan and relevant information (as shown in Appendix 14) and
apply to the competent authority 30 days before the at-sea
transshipment for approval. In case that the last day for
filing the application is a national holiday, the application
shall be made on the working day before the national holiday.
Any foreign carrier vessel shall, with the enclosure of
relevant information as shown in Appendix 14, apply to the
competent authority for approval before conducting the
transshipment in port with any tuna longline fishing vessel for
the first time in the current year.
In case of any addition to the list of the tuna longlie fishing
vessel(s) in the transshipment plan approved by the competent
authority, the application shall be submitted three working
days before making such addition to the competent authority
for approval. The transshipment with the concerned tuna
longline fishing vessel(s) may only be conducted after the
approval has been granted. Any application submitted after the
prescribed deadline shall be denied.
Article 55
In case of any of the following circumstances, the application
of transshipment plan made in accordance with Article 54 shall
be denied:
(1)The carrier vessel concerned does not meet the requirements
stipulated in Article 49;
(2)Three years have not passed since the carrier vessel
concerned was listed on the non-cooperative carriers list;
or
(3)The fine for violating the Act imposed on the carrier vessel
has not been paid completely.
Article 56
Any tuna longline fishing vessel and carrier vessel that
intends to conduct transshipment shall respectively apply for
the approval from the competent authority before the
transshipment.
Any distant water fisheries operator or captain applying for
the approval as referred to in the preceding paragraph shall
fill in the Transshipment Notification (format as shown in
Appendix 15) and submit it to the competent authority in
accordance with the following prescribed timeframe:
(1)For at sea transshipment: no later than three working days
before the estimated date for transshipment.
(2)For in port transshipment: no later than three days before
the estimated date for transshipment. In case that the last
day for filing the application is a national holiday, the
application shall be made on the working day before the
national holiday.
Fishing vessels approved by the competent authority to conduct
transshipment may transship the catch on the approved date or
within three days after the approved date.
For any transshipment to be conducted not within the period as
referred to in the preceding paragraph, the distant water
fisheries operator or the captain concerned shall apply for the
change of transshipment date and obtain the approval from the
competent authority before conducting the transshipment.
Article 57
For any tuna longline fishing vessel or carrier vessel that is
under any of the following circumstances during the current
fishing trip, the competent authority shall not authorize such
vessel to transship at sea:
(1)The ALC on board is mal-functional and has not been
repaired.
(2)There is concrete evidence to identify such vessel has
involved in any serious infringement as prescribed in
subparagraph (4) to (14) or (18) of Article 13, paragraph 1
of the Act.
For any tuna longline fishing vessel or carrier vessel that is
under any of the following circumstances during current fishing
trip, the competent authority may not authorize such vessel to
transship at sea:
(1)For the catches to be transshipped, it is suspected that the
vessel applying for the transshipment has operated within
the water under the jurisdiction of any other country
without valid authorization.
(2)The total amount of fish species with catch limit to be
transshipped exceeds 10% of the amount reported through the
E-logbook system.
(3)The total amount of fish species not under catch limit to be
transshipped exceeds 25% of the amount reported through the
E-logbook system.
(4)The following infractions reported by observers of IOTC
regional observer program have not been improved:
i.No valid fishing license on board.
ii.No logbook as designated by the competent authority on
board.
iii.Any vessel marking that is not marked in accordance
with Article 16 to 18.
(5)The Transshipment Notification as referred to in Article 56,
paragraph 2 is not filled in completely.
Article 58
In the event that the catch of any tuna longline fishing vessel
has been landed in a port and is subsequently transported by a
carrier vessel for port departure, it shall be deemed as
transshipment, and Article 56 shall apply.
Article 59
The tuna longline fishing vessel or carrier vessel which
obtains the approval to transship pursuant to Article 56 shall
not conduct the transshipment in the event that the ALC on
board is signal-lost and has not been repaired.
Article 60
For any transshipment in the Indian Ocean conducted by a
carrier vessel, the IOTC Transshipment Declaration shall,
within 24 hours after the completion of such transshipment, be
filled in and submitted to the IOTC and the competent
authority. The format of the IOTC Transshipment Declaration is
as shown in Appendix 16.
Any carrier vessel shall, within 24 hours after the completion
of transshipment in port, submit the Transshipment Declaration
to the competent authority. The format of the Transshipment
Declaration is as shown in Appendix 16.
The distant water fisheries operator or the captain of any tuna
longline fishing vessel shall, within seven working days after
the completion of transshipment, submit the Transshipment
Declaration to the competent authority. The format of the
Transshipment Declaration is as shown in Appendix 16.
Article 61
For any tuna longline fishing vessel landing its catch in a
domestic or foreign port, the following person(s) shall fill
in the Advance Notice of Landing, format of which is as shown
in Appendix 17, and submit it to the competent authority for
approval by the following deadline; and in case that the last
day for filing the application is a national holiday, the
application shall be made on the working day before the
national holiday:
(1)For the landing conducted by a tuna longline fishing vessel,
its distant water fisheries operator or captain shall
submit it no later than three days before the estimated date
for landing.
(2)For the landing conducted by a tuna longline fishing vessel
with the catch subsequently being transported by
commissioning a container vessel, the distant water
fisheries operator or the captain of such longline vessel
shall submit it no later than three days before the
estimated date for landing.
(3)For the landing conducted by a carrier vessel, the distant
water fisheries operator of a tuna longline fishing vessel
shall submit it no later than three days before the
estimated date for landing.
Notwithstanding the provision stipulated in the preceding
paragraph, for any tuna longline fishing vessel that employs
ice-chilling method to preserve its catch and lands in a port
of a foreign country with which the fisheries cooperation is
engaged, its distant water fisheries operator or captain shall
submit the Advance Notice of Landing no later than one day
before the estimated date for landing. In case that the last
day for filing the application is a national holiday, the
application shall be made on the working day before the
national holiday.
Fishing vessels approved by the competent authority to conduct
landing may land the catch on the approved date or within three
days after the approved date.
For any landing to be conducted not within the period as
referred to in the preceding paragraph, the distant water
fisheries operator or the captain concerned shall apply for the
change of the date for landing and obtain the approval from
the competent authority before conducting the landing.
Article 61-1
For any tuna longline fishing vessel whose catch is landed at a
foreign port and transported to other port by a container
vessel, the distant water fisheries operator of such tuna
longline vessel shall, no later than three days before the
container vessel’s port entry, notify the competent authority
of the time for port entry and the name of the port.
Article 62
Upon the completion of landing of any tuna longline fishing
vessel, the following person(s) shall fill in and submit to the
competent authority the Landing Declaration, format of which
is as shown in Appendix 17, by the prescribed deadline:
(1)For the landing conducted by a tuna longline fishing vessel,
its distant water fisheries operator or captain shall
submit the Declaration within five working days after the
completion of landing.
(2)For the landing conducted by a tuna longline fishing vessel
with the catch subsequently being transported by
commissioning a container vessel, the distant water
fisheries operator of such longline vessel shall submit the
Declaration within five working days after the container(s)
containing such catch unloads and completes customs
clearance.
(3)For the landing conducted by a carrier vessel, the distant
water fisheries operator of a tuna longline fishing vessel
shall submit the Declaration within five working days after
the completion of landing by the carrier vessel.
The term “completion of landing” as referred to in these
Regulations means the catch landed at a port has completed its
whole weighing process.
Article 63
The distant water fisheries operator and captain of any fishing
vessel shall accept port inspections conducted by the competent
authority or the independent third party for verification of
the catch landed or transshipped.
The distant water fisheries operator or captain of any fishing
vessel that is designated by the competent authority to be
inspected shall comply with the following:
(1)For inspections conducted by the competent authority, the
landing or transshipment shall be started only after the
person(s) of the competent authority has arrived.
(2)For inspections conducted by the independent third party,
the application and contact with the independent third party
shall be made, and relevant fees for inspections shall be
paid before the landing and transshipment, which shall only
be started after the person(s) of the independent third
party has arrived.
The fees incurred from any inspection on catches conducted by
the independent third party at the foreign ports shall be
borne by the distant water fisheries operator of the vessel
being inspected.
Article 64
The distant water fisheries operator of any tuna longline
fishing vessel shall, within 60 days after the completion of
landing, submit sales or inventory information to the competent
authority. The sales information shall at least include
buyer(s), fish species and quantities.
Chapter X Observation and Inspection during Fishing Operations
Article 65
The distant water fisheries operator of any fishing vessel that
receives the observer dispatched by the competent authority,
any foreign country with which the fisheries cooperation is
engaged, or any international fisheries organization shall
comply with the following:
(1)He/she shall notify the competent authority in writing seven
working days before the date of intended port entry or
departure.
(2)To embark and disembark the observer at the time and place
informed by the competent authority.
(3)To provide the observer, while onboard the vessel, with
food, accommodation, adequate sanitary amenities, and
medical facilities of a reasonable standard equivalent to
those normally available to an officer onboard the vessel.
(4)To instruct the captain and crew of the vessel matters
related to the cooperation with or assisting the observer in
carrying out the duties.
Article 66
The captain of any fishing vessel that receives the observer
dispatched by the competent authority, any foreign country with
which the fisheries cooperation is engaged, or any
international fisheries organization shall comply with the
following:
(1)The captain shall attend the pre-sail training course given
by the competent authority.
(2)When an observer is on board the fishing vessel, the captain
shall inform the observer of the daily routine, personal
safety and vessel equipment.
(3)The captain shall cooperate with and assist the observer in
carrying out duties, and shall not evade, obstruct or refuse
to answer the inquiry related to the observation mission.
(4)The captain shall not interfere with, assault, intimidate,
or bribe the observer.
(5)The captain shall provide the observer with adequate space,
facilities, equipment and information on the vessel necessary
for his daily living and for carrying out his/her duties.
(6)The captain shall request the crew to comply with the
provision stipulated in the preceding three subparagraphs.
(7)The captain shall sign on the record(s) of observation
written by the observer. In case there are different views on
the record(s) of the observer, captain’s opinions may be
added.
(8)The captain shall ensure the safety of the observer. In case
of emergency or distress, special care and refuge shall be
provided to the observer.
Article 67
In the event of boarding and inspection conducted by the
inspector(s) dispatched by the competent authority, any captain
and crew of the inspected vessel shall cooperate with,
facilitate the safe boarding and disembarkation of the
inspector(s), and provide the inspector(s) with adequate space,
facilities and equipment for carrying out the duties.
Chapter XI Special Management Measures for High Risk Fishing
Vessels
Article 68
Matters related to the management of high risk fishing vessels
categorized by the competent authority shall be governed by
this Chapter. Matters not stipulated in this Chapter shall be
governed by these Regulations.
Article 69
Any distant water fisheries operator of the high risk fishing
vessels shall, starting from the date that the competent
authority informs the distant water fisheries operator of such
vessel, comply with the special management measures as follows:
(1)Any high risk fishing vessel shall not engage in fisheries
cooperation by means of being chartered to any foreigner.
(2)For each fishing trip of such vessel, the observer
dispatched by the competent authority shall be carried on
board, or the functional electronic monitoring equipment
shall be installed on board before leaving a port. For such
vessel that has carried on board the observer who meets the
requirement of the international fisheries organization(s),
it shall be exempted.
(3)Vessel positions shall be transmitted in accordance with
Chapter VI.
(4)Catch reports shall be conducted in accordance with
provisions stipulated in Chapter VII.
(5)Such vessel shall not conduct at-sea transshipment.
(6)For transshipment in port, the Transshipment Notification
shall be filled in to apply for the approval of the
competent authority, no later than seven days before the
estimated date for transshipment.
(7)For landing in port, the Advance Notice of Landing shall be
filled in to apply for the approval of the competent
authority, no later than seven days before the estimated
date for landing.
(8)In case of transshipment or landing in port, inspections
shall be conducted by the competent authority or the
independent third party.
Article 70
In the event that any high risk fishing vessel does not violate
any regulation for one year starting from the date of being
listed as high risk fishing vessel, such vessel shall be
de-listed and exempted from the special management measures.
Chapter XII Supplemental Provisions
Article 71
Any tuna longline fishing vessel shall not fish within one
nautical mile off a data buoy, or take on board, possess or
cause damage to the data buoy.
In case that the fishing gear becomes entangled with the data
buoy, the entangled fishing gear shall be removed with as
little damage to the data buoy as possible.
In case of finding any data buoy that is damaged or
non-functional, the captain shall report to the competent
authority the date, location, and the identifying information
on the data buoy.
Article 72
To prevent harming marine living species, any fishing vessel
shall not dispose any type of plastic trash or discharge any
oil on the sea.
Article 72-1
For the purpose of these Regulations, the catch amount is the
unprocessed round weight.
The conversion factors between the weights of processed fish
and round fish are as shown in Appendix 18.
Article 73
These Regulations shall become effective on January 20, 2017.
Amendments to these Regulations shall become effective on the
date of promulgation.
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