NTU's Educational Outreach on Overfishing and Illegal Fishing Practices (2025)
Fisheries are a vital economic industry for Taiwan as an island nation, but overfishing and Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing severely threaten marine ecosystems. National Taiwan University organizes a range of free educational outreach activities to raise public awareness of overfishing, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and destructive fishing practices. These include eight glass eel resource and safety seminars at local fishermen's associations nationwide, advocating for eel traceability to reduce IUU fishing; a public seminar on Taiwan's Ocean Conservation Act and Marine Protected Areas, co-hosted with a civil society organization; and public lectures and forums on fisheries governance, distant-water fishing practices, and cetacean bycatch prevention, featuring NTU faculty as invited speakers to government agencies, alumni associations, and community forums. All supporting evidence is publicly accessible without institutional login.
Taiwan Fishery Economics Series Promotion
2025 Glass Eel Resource and Operational Safety Seminars ( FREE )
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In 2025, a research team from NTU's Institute of Fisheries Science organized 8 seminars at local fishermen's associations across Taiwan. The events aimed to enhance the awareness of fishermen and the public regarding the connection between ocean currents and glass eel recruitment, current resource status, key aspects of implementing catch management measures, and operational risk factors, while also gathering feedback on current harvesting conditions to support the sustainable management of glass eel fisheries.
Related Events and Lectures
These activities specifically address overfishing (through fisheries economics and management lectures), IUU fishing (through eel traceability seminars and marine protection law forums), and destructive fishing practices (through marine protected area designation and cetacean bycatch awareness campaigns).
2025 Ocean Conservation Act Seminar (FREE)
Co-hosted by NTU’s Public Policy and Law Research Center and the Taiwan Green Energy Charity Development Association in July 2025, this seminar brought together representatives from government, academia, and industry to explore issues surrounding Taiwan's Ocean Conservation Act, the designation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs).
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2025 "Taiwanese Fisheries: From Coastal to Distant Waters" Lecture (FREE)
Organized by the NTU Alumni Association in May 2025, this lecture featured Professor Po-Yi Hung of the Department of Geography. He discussed traditional operational processes in Taiwan's fisheries economy alongside their drawbacks (such as illegal and overfishing), while sharing insights into technological innovations and the rise of cold-chain logistics to help the public understand emerging economic models in the fisheries sector.
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Marine Environment x Society x Governance: Sustainable Development Forum (FREE)
Professor Po-Yi Hung of the Department of Geography was invited to speak at the "Marine Environment x Society x Governance: Sustainable Development Forum" in 2025. Presenting on "Fisheries Governance and International Geopolitics," he facilitated dialogue among the public, practitioners, and government agencies interested in marine sustainability, fisheries policy (addressing illegal and overfishing), seafood education, and environmental governance, steering Taiwan toward a sustainable blue economy and driving marine sustainability initiatives.
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2025 Satoumi Forum (FREE)
Professor Li-Pei Peng was invited as a speaker at the "2025 Dialogue Between Fishermen and the Ocean: Satoumi Forum on National Vegetation Swathe Practice." Centered on Nature-based Solutions (NbS), the presentation shared with the public how ecological consciousness can be integrated into government public infrastructure and fishing village economic development.
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2025 Fish Identification & Spearfishing Intro Lecture (FREE)
Organized by the NTU Freediving Club, this lecture led participants through recognizing common marine fish species, observing their characteristics and behaviors, and understanding spearfishing culture, gear ,responsible harvesting practices and fundamental principles—fostering awareness of marine life species and sustainable harvesting cultures.
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2025 Kuroshio Cetacean Day (FREE)
To raise awareness about bycatch and fishery-related threats to cetaceans, Professor Wei-Cheng Yang of the Department of Veterinary Medicine participated in an interactive booth at the 2025 Kuroshio Cetacean Day. Through public engagement, the initiative encouraged fishermen to act as citizen scientists—advocating for the protection of whales and dolphins alongside maintaining fisheries livelihoods.
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