A copy of an illustrated handbook featuring pictures of abandoned fishing gear found in Taiwan’s waters is pictured at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Abandoned fishing gear are displayed at a news conference held by the Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation in Taipei yesterday. Of more than 100 tonnes of garbage collected from waters near Taiwan last year, waste fishing gear made up 60 tonnes — the most among all garbage, she said, citing OCA data. In January, a 24m-long dead blue whale washed ashore on Taitung County’s coast, and the creature was entangled in fishing nets and might have starved to death, she said. However, those who fail to identify their gear when fishing would face a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$150,000, he said.

Source: Taipei Times September 22, 2020 15:56 UTC