1.Ministry of Agriculture Announces an Increase in Maritime Accident Insurance Payouts

In the past, fishermen who unfortunately went missing or died while working at sea could claim a maritime work insurance payout of 1.5 million TWD. To better support fishermen, the Ministry of Agriculture will increase the insurance payout for those who meet with fatal accidents to 2 million TWD. The Fisheries Agency has announced a draft amendment, which is expected to take effect in late October.

2. The Fisheries Agency is actively visiting Mauritius ports to safeguard the rights of foreign crew members

The Taiwan Fisheries Agency continues to dispatch personnel to foreign ports, such as Mauritius, to protect the rights of migrant fishers, which earns commendation from the Philippine consul. To ensure proper working conditions for migrant fishers on Taiwanese distant water fishing vessels, the agency dispatched 31 inspectors this year to ports in Mauritius, South Africa (Cape Town), and Micronesia (Pohnpei). They inspected 92 Taiwanese distant water fishing vessels and interviewed 1,003 migrant fishers to ensure that the fishers received adequate wages, living conditions, food and water, and safe working environments.

During the inspection conducted in Mauritius in September, Dr. Audrey Patricia Chui Wan Cheong, the Honorary Consul of the Philippines in Mauritius, invited the personnel of the Taiwan Fisheries Agency for a meeting, where she expressed gratitude to the Taiwanese government for protecting the rights of Filipino fishers and praised their efforts. The Taiwan Fisheries Agency will continue to incorporate the "Working in Fishing Convention" into domestic legislation and collaborate with distant water fisheries operators and civil society organizations to create better working conditions for all distant water fishers and safeguard their rights.