According to media reports, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) did not add Atlantic bluefin tuna to its banned from fishing list
in Appendix I this year. The Fisheries Agency (FA) of the Council of Agriculture (COA)
said that ocean fishery resources are renewable and good management can ensure both fish
conservation and fishery development.

At present the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is
responsible for the conservation of tunas and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean.
Taiwan plans to attend future meetings of CITES signatory states, expressing its support for
the ICCAT to continue managing bluefin tuna resources. As to the trend that global population
growth and ocean environmental changes will lead to decreased edible fish resources, the FA
noted that Taiwan will inevitably be affected adversely in the long run, but the government
has actively taken countermeasures, developing aquaculture in the framework of quality
agriculture to meet the requirement of domestic market while assisting the sustainable
development of the ocean fishery industry in accordance with international standards.

As to media reports that Taiwan's fish catch decreased last year, the COA explained that it
was due to the drastic change in ocean squid and mackerel pike resources and such other
factors as ocean fishery yield affected by oil prices and quota restrictions and the August 8
floodings last year reduced aquacultural production in 2009. But the Council is confident that fishery
production in 2010 will meet domestic requirement because fish catch is expected to increase
again and aquaculture will be restored as scheduled.

The COA pointed out that the ICCAT, which was established in 1969 to manage tuna resources in
the Atlantic Ocean, has conducted scientific research on Atlantic bluefin tunas since 1970
and Taiwan has even started to establish a database on tunas and swordfish since 1967 and
shared research results with other countries. The ICCAT set the total allowable Atlantic
bluefin tuna catch at no more than 32,000 tons in 1999 but gradually reduced the allowable
catch to the current 13,500 tons because of the pessimistic situation of bluefin tuna
resources.

Taking into consideration the sustainable utilization of bluefin tuna resources, Taiwan has
not only voluntarily given up 700 tons of its Atlantic bluefin tuna quota since 2006 but also
donated euro 100,000 every year to support various resource evaluations and scientific studies,
said the COA. In addition, Taiwan has made concrete contributions to Atlantic bluefin tuna
conservation by taking such measures as stationing observers on the sea, conducting regular
harbor checks, investigating and stopping IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing and
promoting the improvement of fish catch information. That's why Taiwan has been praised as an
excellent ocean resource conserving country by ICCAT member countries, noted the COA.

The Council added that the CITES is scheduled to hold the 15th conference of signatory members
in March 2010 and Monaco has proposed to add Atlantic bluefin tunas to CITES Appendix I, hoping to completely ban its trade. Although Taiwan is not a CITES member, the government has decided to send representatives to attend the conference. Since the ICCAT has strengthened the
management of Atlantic bluefin tunas, the COA is convinced that the ICCAT should continue being
responsible for the conservation of Atlantic bluefin tunas. But no matter what decisions are
made by the CITES conference, Taiwan will respect them, stressed the COA.

Pacific bluefin tunas and Atlantic bluefin tunas belong to different groups, noted the COA.
Although there has been considerable evaluations of Atlantic bluefin tunas, the International
Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the North Pacific Ocean (ISC) was not even
sure about the natural death rate of Pacific bluefin tunas in 2009. So the ISC plans to conduct a
complete evaluation of Pacific bluefin tuna resources in the future as the basis for subsequent
management, explained the COA. Taiwan is a member of both the ISC and the Western and Central
Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and will become a member of Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) soon, so it can fully participate in the decision-making process of various Pacific regional fishery management organizations and take management measures.

But the COA estimated that Taiwan's fish catch will grow in 2010 because squid and mackerel pike stocks are expected to increase again and aquaculture will be restored back to normal. Taiwan's ocean fishery industry will adhere consistently to its ocean conservation policy, and the government will manage high-seas tuna fishing in accordance with various international resolutions and continue strengthening inshore fishing conservation measures to ensure the sustainable development of Taiwan's ocean fishery.