On April 26th, the Chief of the Taiwan Matsu Coast Guard, Hong Wenquan, stated that on the 25th, two unidentified individuals were discovered near the uninhabited island reefs offshore of Gaodeng in the restricted waters. They have been brought back to Nangan Township, Lienchiang County for investigation.
According to reports from the Central News Agency, a fisherman from Beigan Township, Lienchiang County, informed reporters that while fishing in the waters near Gaodeng Island where troops are stationed, he spotted a suspicious Chinese fishing boat anchored near Gaodeng Island. He filmed a video with his mobile phone and informed the military and coast guard through the LINE messaging app group.
The fisherman from Beigan Township mentioned that cross-border fishing violations are “almost happening every day,” with Chinese fishermen leaving their “footprints” not only on Gaodeng and Liang Islands and surrounding uninhabited reefs, but also being seen near Turtle Island next to Qinbi Village at night setting octopus traps and even intruding and directly gathering conch on the slopes of Dawa Mountain in Beigan.
Zheng Tingyu, a Democratic Progressive Party representative from Beigan Township, stated that they have received numerous complaints from residents about cross-border fishing issues, including Chinese fishermen collecting conch on Beigan Island. The underlying problem lies in the inability of the Chinese Communist Party to effectively control its fishermen, allowing them to venture into Taiwan’s restricted or prohibited waters. If the Chinese Communist Party could take strong measures, similar problems could be significantly reduced.
Zheng Tingyu expressed a desire to enhance the law enforcement capabilities of the coast guard to intercept such activities early, and he plans to communicate this to the central government. Hong Wenquan mentioned that the coast guard takes reported cases seriously and has increased patrols in the waters around Beigan.
Additionally, fishermen reported that the catches retrieved by Chinese fishermen using octopus traps mostly consist of immature small fish and fish fry, which could disrupt the ecology of Matsu over time. Moreover, the stationary nets placed by Matsu fishermen near Qiaozai Village have occasionally been cut by Chinese fishermen, with each net costing over NT$100,000 (approximately 0.32 thousand USD), resulting in financial losses for the fishermen.
Residents of Lienchiang County, who are devoted to the protection of seagulls, pointed out that some uninhabited islands and reefs in Beigan such as Sanlian Islet, Zhong Islet, Tiejian Islet, and Baimiao Islet have been designated as seagull protection areas. During the breeding period from April to September, entry to these islands is prohibited, yet in recent years, Chinese fishermen have illegally landed on them, potentially disturbing the breeding of the “mythical bird” – the Black-faced Spoonbill, leading them to abandon the area for breeding the following year, posing an ecological conservation concern.
The Lienchiang County Industrial Development Bureau stated that if it is confirmed that Chinese fishermen have illegally landed on the islands, they will request assistance from the Ocean Affairs Council’s Coast Guard Administration to expel them. From October to March of the following year, outside of the seagull breeding season, Taiwanese fishermen do not need to apply for permission to go to the islands to collect conch, but they must not violate relevant regulations of the Wildlife Conservation Act.