Pingtung County fishers have collected more than 57 tonnes of marine debris under a reward program introduced by the local government in 2022 to mitigate the impact of ocean waste on marine life and marine ecosystems.
Under the program, Pingtung fishing boats have brought in 57.9 tonnes of trash they found while operating in the open sea to 23 security inspection centers at their home ports across the county in exchange for home-grown agricultural or eco-friendly products, the Pingtung County Environmental Protection Bureau said on Thursday.
Last year, a reward points system was launched, allowing fishers to exchange the waste they collect from the sea for household appliances, which provides a further boost to the program aiming to reduce marine debris at the source, the bureau said.
Photo courtesy of the Pingtung County Government
Protecting marine ecosystems is a critical and urgent task, with surveys showing 8 million tonnes of plastic, the main component of marine debris, enter the ocean globally per year, the Pingtung County Government said.
Plastic particles in the ocean eaten by fish are eventually consumed by people through the food chain, and as such represent a major threat to the environment and ecosystems, it said.
A fishing boat skipper surnamed Chiang (江) said that due to the reward program, he is now more motivated to look for marine debris.
“Though a small action, it will change the whole picture as long as everyone becomes part of the program,” he said.
To encourage foreign fishers to also join in the initiative, the bureau has printed booklets explaining how it works in six languages — English, Indonesian, Thai, Malay, Filipino and Vietnamese.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS