To deepen Taiwan–U.S. cooperation on marine debris management and trans-Pacific Ocean conservation, Taiwan’s Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Center for Marine Debris Research (CMDR) at Hawaiʻi Pacific University’s on Aug. 6 (U.S. time). The agreement establishes a long-term framework for collaboration. Through exchanges of information and expertise, institutional engagement, shared knowledge, and stakeholder participation, the partners will bring together Taiwan’s experience in marine debris management and circular use with Hawaiʻi’s strengths in marine debris science, source identification, and on-the-ground removal. Together, they will pursue more effective management and upstream prevention solutions for marine debris in the North Pacific.

Brenda Jensen, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Natural and Computational Sciences at Hawaiʻi Pacific University, said, “Since its establishment in January 2019, the Center for Marine Debris Research has been dedicated to developing and applying the best available science to better understand the challenge of marine plastic pollution.”

Ryan Kanakaʻole, Chairperson of the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), attended and spoke on behalf of Governor Josh Green: “The ocean recognizes no borders. Debris travels across regions on the currents, so our solutions must cross borders too. Today, Taiwan and Hawaiʻi are not simply signing an MOU—we are joining hands to protect a clean, healthy, and living ocean home for the next generation.”

Jennifer Lynch, Ph.D., Founder and Director of CMDR, stressed that marine debris management cannot focus only on downstream removal; preventing waste at its source is even more important. “We cannot only collect debris from our shores; we must stop it before it reaches the ocean. This partnership between Taiwan and Hawaiʻi is an important step from end-of-pipe removal toward source prevention, and from management action toward sustainability.” The two sides will explore more effective models for marine debris management through sharing experience, knowledge, and institutional exchanges.

Director General Shiau-Yun Lu of the OCA said, “On a map, the Pacific may appear to place Taiwan and Hawaiʻi at opposite ends. But in truth, the ocean is the shared language that connects us.” Taiwan and Hawaiʻi are both island communities whose daily lives, industries, cultures, and ecosystems are inseparable from the sea. Marine debris, too, does not stop at administrative boundaries: a single piece of discarded fishing gear can drift thousands of kilometers on the currents before reaching the shore of another island. For this reason, marine debris has never been merely a local cleanup issue. It is an ocean-governance challenge that calls for science, policy, and cross-border cooperation.

In addition to the MOU signing, the partners co-hosted the International Derelict Fishing Gear Prevention Workshop. Experts from the International Pacific Research Center at the University of Hawaiʻi, the Hawaii Longline Association, the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument marine debris removal team, The Ocean Cleanup, CMDR, and other marine research and conservation organizations exchanged perspectives on ocean-current transport, debris source identification, the economic and safety impacts of derelict fishing gear on fisheries, large-scale removal, and circular reuse. Participants focused on four priority areas—Removal, Sourcing, Prevention, and Recycling—to identify strategies for advancing marine debris management in the North Pacific.

In recent years, the OCA has continued to remove marine debris and promote its recycling and circular use. In 2025, it removed 3,642 metric tons of marine debris and recovered more than 300 metric tons of debris materials, of which over 200 metric tons were recycled or repurposed. Through circular design and technological innovation, these materials have been transformed into everyday items such as marine-debris sunglasses, pens made from recovered floats, and towels made from discarded fishing nets—demonstrating the diverse possibilities of turning marine debris into resources.

Director General Lu added, “We cannot rely on cleanup alone, forever chasing waste as it continues to enter the ocean.” Effective marine debris management must begin with scientific monitoring to identify the problem, source identification to understand it, and systems that enable government, industry, and the public to prevent it together. The MOU signed with CMDR is intended to combine the two sides’ complementary strengths, moving beyond removing marine debris toward preventing it from entering the ocean in the first place.

Under the MOU, and in accordance with each party’s laws and policies, the partners will advance four areas of cooperation: exchanging information and expertise on marine debris response strategies, cleanup, prevention, and recycling and reuse; promoting institutional exchanges through personnel visits, meetings, and workshops; undertaking joint public communication and knowledge sharing; and encouraging the participation of stakeholders from government, academia, and other relevant sectors. The partnership is intended to grow from collaboration between two institutions into a more comprehensive ocean-governance network.

The OCA emphasized that the ocean has no borders—and neither should science, knowledge, or effective solutions. This partnership is not the end point of a signed MOU, but a new beginning for Taiwan and Hawaiʻi as they seek solutions to marine debris together. The OCA will continue strengthening international partnerships, bringing science, public policy, industry innovation, and public participation together so that proven experience and good solutions can travel across the Pacific: from removal to prevention, from waste to circularity, and from isolated action to international cooperation, in service of the Pacific Ocean we share.

News Release | Ocean Conservation Administration, Ocean Affairs Council
Spokesperson: Deputy Director General Yi-Che Shih
Contact: +886 7 338 3203
Media contact: Chen-Yao Ma, Section Chief, Marine Environmental Management Division | +886 910 868 801
Release date: August 8, 2026

The Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) of the Ocean Affairs Council is proud to announce that the 2026 Global Youth Innovation Challenge (YIC) is now officially open for submissions. Since 2021, the OCA has partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) through the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) to empower young leaders aged 15 to 30 to propose innovative solutions for the world's most pressing marine issues.

      Now in its fifth year, the 2026 Challenge emphasizes a holistic approach to ocean conservation. This year's initiative encourages participants to start with individual action and scale their impact to families, communities, and the international stage. The OCA envisions a platform where youth can transform creative concepts into tangible actions, raising global awareness and inspiring a collective movement to safeguard our marine ecosystems.

     The OCA is pleased to announce that the 2026 Global Youth Innovation Challenge will officially open for submissions at 12:00 AM (Taiwan Time) on April 15, 2026. All entries must be submitted in English, with a submission deadline of May 31, 2026. Three outstanding winners will be selected, each receiving a prize of USD $1,000 and an invitation to Taiwan to attend the award ceremony and present their ideas at an international forum. This year’s challenge focuses on:

Reducing personal waste and marine debris,
Promoting positive community and societal impacts, and
Advocating international marine environmental education,For more details, please visit the official program webpage:https://thegeep.org/programs/youth-innovation-challenge.

      To support prospective applicants, the NAAEE will host an online applicant webinar on May 5, 2026, at 10:00 PM (Taiwan Time). The session will cover proposal writing tips and include a Q&A segment to assist participants with their submissions. The OCA strongly encourages interested youth to take advantage of this valuable learning and networking opportunity.

     The OCA emphasizes that the ocean is a shared treasure for all humanity. We look forward to seeing young innovators illuminate new pathways for conservation—turning sparks of creativity into a steady force for change. From individual efforts to community-wide shifts, every step counts toward a clean and sustainable ocean.

Responsible entity and spokesperson: OCA Deputy Director-General Yi-Che Shih
Phone: 07-3383203 or 0905-167-616
Date: April /16/2026

   Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) of Taiwan collaborates with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) through the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) to launch the 2025 Youth Innovation Challenge (YIC)! Now in its fifth year, YIC invites young people aged 15 to 30 from around the world to participate and share their creative solutions to ocean conservation issues. This challenge encourages global youth to spark awareness, inspire innovation, and take action for the future of our ocean.

     Three outstanding winners will be awarded USD $1,000 each and will be invited to Taiwan to attend an awards ceremony and a collaborative workshop hosted by OCA. Join this global movement and protect our blue planet with your ideas. Let your creativity drive sustainable change for our ocean!

     The YIC is now accepting submissions (in English) through June 30, 2025. This year’s challenge invites young people to create short videos focused on one of the following themes: marine debris, marine biodiversity and conservation, or public-private partnerships. Young individuals who are passionate about ocean issues and eager to contribute to marine conservation are encouraged to participate and share their innovative ideas! More information on the website: https://reurl.cc/OYnlor .

     The ocean connects the entire planet and is a shared asset of all humankind. In light of growing environmental challenges, we call on young people around the world to bring fresh, innovative thinking to address pressing marine issues. Through concrete actions and creative solutions, youth can play a vital role in advancing ocean conservation.

     We sincerely invite young individuals from all walks of life to actively participate in protecting our blue planet. Together, let us work toward a vision of a cleaner, more sustainable ocean for future generations.

Responsible entity and spokesperson: OCA Deputy Director-General LI,XIAO-XIA
Phone: 0937-498122
Date: May/26/2025
 

Every year on June 8, the United Nations marks World Oceans Day, a global celebration of the ocean’s vital role in sustaining life on Earth. It’s a day for people everywhere to reflect on the ocean’s importance, from supporting biodiversity and livelihoods to regulating our climate—and to recognize the urgent challenges we face in protecting its future.
 
In 2025, UN World Oceans Day will be hosted in Nice, France, just ahead of the UN Ocean Conference, with a renewed format and focus. The event is organized by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS) of the UN Office of Legal Affairs, in collaboration with Oceanic Global.。

This year’s theme centers on the wonder of the ocean—the feeling that inspires exploration, drives innovation, and fuels our commitment to protect this vast, mysterious world. Wonder is more than a feeling: it sparks scientific discovery, revives ancient wisdom, and reminds us of our deep connection to nature and to one another.
 
In a time of growing environmental challenges, nurturing this sense of wonder can lead to collective action, bold decisions, and lasting change. On World Oceans Day 2025, we’re called to celebrate the ocean's beauty and mystery, and to ensure that its magic isn’t forgotten when decisions are made about its future.
 🔗 Learn more: unworldoceansday.org

The Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) are excited to announce and congratulate the winners and finalists of the 2024 Youth Innovation Challenge (YIC) today, September 11. Three young innovators from Indonesia, Mexico, and Mauritius are this year’s winners, with each receiving a $1,000 USD award.
 
Since 2021, OCA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and NAAEE have collaborated annually to support the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) in hosting the YIC. This event invites youth aged 15 to 30 from around the world to submit innovative solutions for marine environmental issues.

Shiau-Yun Lu, Director-General of OCA, noted that this year’s challenge focused on themes of Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Marine Debris, and Public-Private Partnerships. The broader scope of themes aimed to encourage participants not only to focus on marine environments and biodiversity, but also to consider innovative ideas for supporting collaboration between public and private sectors in preserving marine ecosystems.

Shiau-Yun Lu highlights that we received 152 submissions from 42 countries during this year’s challenge. This is a significant increase from previous years, reflecting growing interest and engagement from so many young people who want to get involved in this important work.
"The YIC provides a unique opportunity to honor young leaders committed to solving marine challenges around the world. We’re excited to see the enthusiasm and inventive approaches that this year's applicants are bringing to their communities," said Judy Braus, executive director of NAAEE.
 
The three winners for this year have proposed the following innovative challenges:
Axell Sutton | Mexico
Axell aims to protect ocean health and biodiversity through education, innovative methods, and sustainable energy practices. His proposal will offer practical strategies, policy recommendations, and community engagement tools to raise awareness of decarbonization and how community actions can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase community engagement in environmental stewardship.
Watch Axell’s video: https://youtu.be/Unl3Pu7KOlw
 
Brigitta Maria Andrea Gunawan and Gabriella Reyna Ardisa Gunawan | Indonesia
Brigitta and her team at Diverseas proposed to promote marine science knowledge through virtual diving and in-person workshops. Their initiative will not only enhance understanding of marine environments but also highlight careers in marine science and coral reef restoration. By 2030, they plan to establish a network of 500 marine advocates to help transform valuable marine science knowledge into easily understandable content for youth and educators.
Watch Brigitta & Gabriella’s video: https://youtu.be/i9Zr8qRATxM
 
Krishna Pentayah and Team | Mauritius
In response to the oil spill from the MV Wakashio in Mauritian waters in 2020, which severely damaged marine ecosystems and mangroves, Krishna and the Sov Lanatir team aim to restore Mauritius' mangroves through innovative community engagement and education. They emphasize the importance of environmental education in equipping youth and local communities with knowledge and skills for mangrove conservation, highlighting the critical role of mangroves in combating climate change.
Watch Krishna & the Sov Lanatir team’s video: https://youtu.be/fqjuUBj0O74
Learn more about the winners and finalists: https://bit.ly/2024-YIC-Winners

Additional information:

About YIC:
The GEEP Youth Innovation Challenge invites applicants from 15 to 30 years of age to propose a solution to address marine issues, including conservation, biodiversity, and marine debris. Solutions can incorporate a variety of approaches but must include environmental education. Solutions must be innovative, feasible, and informed by research.

About Taiwan OCA:
The Ocean Conservation Administration, Ocean Affairs Council is the competent authority for implementing the Marine Pollution Control Act and the category of marine wildlife specified in the Wildlife Conservation Act. The OCA is also in charge of the businesses relating to marine nature landscapes and nature monuments as specified in the Culture Heritage Preservation Act.

About NAAEE:
For more than five decades, the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) has served as the professional association, champion, and backbone organization for the field of environmental education (EE), working with EE professionals across United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as globally, to advance environmental literacy and civic engagement to create a more equitable and sustainable future. 

Responsible entity and spokesperson: OCA Deputy Director-General Siao-Sia Li
Phone: +886-7-3382057#262017或+886-937-498122
Date: September/11/2024
 

To promote sustainable development of marine environment in the APEC region, Ocean Affair Council (OAC) will host the 23rd APEC Roundtable Meeting on the Involvement of the Business/Private Sector in the Sustainability of the Marine Environment on 27-28 August 2024 at G-skyview Hotel Taipei. The main theme of roundtable meeting is “Pursuing Economic Sustainability and Resilience through Marine Conservation”. The OAC will invite delegates of APEC member economies, including Canada, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, the United States and Viet Nam, as well as international experts and representatives from industries and academia to share their experiences and perspectives on marine conservation and sustainable economic development, particularly on the issues of ecological resilience development in the context of marine conservation, as well as practices for incorporating marine conservation with sustainable economic growth.

The OAC indicates that this project is applied to APEC Ocean and Fisheries Working Group (OFWG) annually by the government. To support APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040, as well as the main theme of APEC Peru 2024, “Empower. Include. Grow.” with a particular focus on the priority of “Sustainable growth for resilient development”, the 23rd roundtable meeting aims to explore approaches to reconcile the policy goals of sustainable economic development with marine environmental protection and conservation.

The Roundtable Meeting has received strong support from Ms. Mónica Rojas Noack, Lead Shepherd of APEC OFWG, as well as member economies. On the first day of the meeting, by focusing on the issues of economic and social resilience under marine conservations, the experts will explore the effectiveness of promoting sustainable growth through area-based conservation measures, and lead discussions on the marine science-based conservation measures. On the second day, by discussing the sustainable economic growth through area-based conservation efforts, the speakers will share the inclusive approach to advance marine conservation and sustainability, and discuss advancing marine conservation with incentives and mutual benefits.

The Ocean Conservation Administration of the OAC welcomes everyone to attend the roundtable meeting in person or online (registration link：https://forms.gle/GfhgDAjkewCDA1CF9). Kindly follow the OCA’s official website and Facebook page for the latest information.

Responsible Authority and Spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact Number: 07-3382057#262017 or 0919-613467
Release Date: August 12, 2024

The Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA), in collaboration with the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium (NMMBA) and the Taiwan Loo Koo Yu Association, installed a satellite transmitter on the first green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) of the year (2024) that laid eggs at Duzaiping in Liuqiu Island, Pingtung County, on May 10th.  This initiative marks the inaugural effort by the Administration to monitor the migration patterns of nesting turtles on Liuqiu Island, aiming to gain insights into their nesting behaviors, migration routes after nesting, and feeding grounds using the gathered location data.

The OCA revealed that the turtle, designated TW4425, was first documented nesting on Liuqiu Island in 2013. She has consistently returned every 2-3 years, making this year her fifth visit. This turtle, measuring 116 centimeters in carapace length, exceeds the average size of 104 centimeters observed in 2022 among five nesting turtles. In April, this turtle deposited three batches of eggs. On her fourth visit to the shore for nesting, the OCA equipped her with a satellite transmitter to track her movements during and after the nesting period. Additionally, to ensure a conducive nesting environment, the Taiwan Loo Koo Yu Association conducted a beach clean-up at Duzaiping on May 9th, collecting 245 kilograms of marine debris. Coincidentally, turtle TW4425 arrived to nest that same evening!

This year, the OCA has commissioned the Taiwan Loo Koo Yu Association with conducting the "Liuqiu Island Nesting Turtle Reproduction and Surrounding Sea Turtle Survey." Since March, members of the Association have been observing the nesting activities, identifying tracks and potential nesting spots as early as April 3rd. It was confirmed on April 17th that these traces belonged to turtle TW4425. The Association has also installed thermometers in the nests to gather data that could reveal how global warming affects the gender distribution of the hatchlings.

The OCA reported that in 2013, there were two recorded instances of post-nesting migration for mother turtles on Liuqiu Island. One turtle migrated north along the Kuroshio Current past the southern coast of Taiwan, while the other crossed the Taiwan Strait toward the coast of China. The OCA hopes that this satellite tracking initiative will shed light on the post-nesting migratory routes of these turtles, providing valuable data to inform conservation strategies.

The OCA has reiterated its call to the public, noting that the turtle nesting season in Taiwan spans from May to October. Penghu's Wang'an, Taitung's Orchid Island (Lanyu), and Pingtung's Liuqiu Island are crucial nesting sites. Visitors to these areas are urged to exercise caution when engaging in beach and marine activities. If illegal activities are suspected, the public is encouraged to gather evidence and report to the local marine conservation authorities or call the "118" hotline. The OCA also reminds everyone to reduce plastic use daily to help protect the precious green sea turtles and marine life.

Responsible Authority and Spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact number: 07-3383203 or 0919-613467
Release Date: May 11, 2024
 

Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) of Taiwan collaborates with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) through the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) to launch the 2024 Youth Innovation Challenge (YIC). “Youth Innovation Challenge: Advancing Marine Conservation” welcomes youth aged 15 to 30 worldwide to participate. The challenge aims to select three winners who will receive a prize of $1,000 each and be invited to Taiwan to attend the award ceremony and international conference hosted by OCA.
      The YIC is a program of the GEEP, a vibrant and inclusive learning network designed to champion environmental education (EE) around the world, in partnership with OCA. GEEP is a partnership between the U.S. EPA, the Ministry of Environment in Taiwan, and NAAEE, which serves as the secretariat.
      Submissions will be accepted from May 1st to June 12th, focusing on English-language short videos on the themes of "Marine Debris," "Marine Biodiversity and Conservation," and "Public-Private Collaboration." Youth interested in or willing to contribute to marine conservation are encouraged to submit their entries. More information can be found on the official program website  (http://bit.ly/YouthInnovationChallenge). NAAEE will also hold an Applicant Webinar on May 22nd at 10:00 PM Taiwan time to share proposal tips and answer questions from prospective participants.
OCA encourages youth worldwide to use their innovative thinking to tackle marine environmental challenges and take real steps towards protecting our oceans. By participating in this event, young innovators can contribute to the vision of a clean ocean and make a positive impact.


Responsible entity and spokesperson: OCA Deputy Director-General Long-Jing Wu
Phone: 0919-613-467
Date: May/1/2024

The Ocean Conservation Administration, Ocean Affairs Council convened the 2024 Marine Animal Rescue Network (MARN) Coordination Meeting today (18th), inviting 21 local governments and 8 professional rescue teams. These teams, who normally collaborate online throughout the year, had a rare opportunity to exchange face-to-face experiences on reports and handling of stranded cetaceans and sea turtles. They brainstormed ways to fully leverage the insights these animals bring, including comprehensive sampling and specimen management, spatiotemporal analysis of stranding survival rates and causes of death, and streamlining processes for enhanced rescue efficiency, accompanying these animals on their life journey.

The Ocean Conservation Administration noted that since 2019, when professional teams, the Coast Guard Administration, and local governments established the Marine Animal Rescue Network (MARN), referencing domestic and international experiences, they have completed the Marine Animal Rescue Network Handbook (https://gov.tw/QCM). Over the past five years, they handled over 1,700 stranded sea turtles and 800 cetaceans, including highly publicized cases like the mass stranding of pygmy killer whales in Kaohsiung Harbor, blue whale strandings in Taitung, and leatherback turtle entanglements in fishing nets in Keelung. As of the first quarter of this year (2024), they successfully released 259 sea turtles and 22 cetaceans back into the wild, maintaining survival rates at a certain level.

Furthermore, the Ocean Conservation Administration explained that over the years, MARN invested funds to improve hardware equipment at 10 rescue stations like the Badouzi Marine Animal Rescue Station(海之生救援站) in Keelung City, Qiding Rescue Station in Miaoli, and marine museums(海生館), National Cheng Kung University, and Kinmen County Fisheries Research Institute. They also facilitated memorandums of understanding or cooperation agreements between New Taipei City and Yehliu Ocean World, Taoyuan City and Xpark, Hualien County and Farglory Ocean Park, strengthening public-private cooperation in rescue and conservation efforts. This increased the survival rate of live cetaceans from less than 10% to an average of 35% over the past three years, with live sea turtle survival rates exceeding 80%. The meeting, held at the Taiwan Yokohama Hakkeijima’s Xpark, not only enhanced rescue and care efficiency but also allowed teams to closely understand the care of stranded animals, which is educationally meaningful.

The Ocean Conservation Administration emphasized that the history of strandings of cetaceans and sea turtles is long, with many possible reasons including natural factors (disease, predators) and human factors (bycatch, entanglement in fishing nets, etc.). For animals suffering from diseases, there is no need to prolong their lives excessively, but they should be allowed to follow their natural course, respecting nature. In cases of deaths due to human factors, it is also a reminder that appropriate measures should be taken, such as fishery avoidance measures, to reduce strandings as much as possible. In view of this, the meeting also specifically discussed preserving samples of protected species for research, exploring possible causes of strandings, and using them as references for promoting conservation policies. The Ocean Conservation Administration currently has 807 samples of 34 species and welcomes researchers from all sectors to apply.

After the meeting, rescue teams visited the Sea Turtle Conservation, Education, and Rehabilitation Center, Taoyuan City, jointly established by the Taoyuan City Government and Xpark. This center not only provides professional medical treatment and care for injured sea turtles but also combines education with entertainment. It helps the public understand the importance of marine biodiversity and encourages them to join practical actions for sea turtle conservation.

The Ocean Conservation Administration urges the public that if they come across stranded or in need of rescue cetaceans or sea turtles, for their safety and that of the animals, they should not handle stranded animals without professional guidance. They should quickly call the Coast Guard's "118" hotline or inform the marine conservation authority of their county or city, providing detailed location, time, and description of the animal's condition, so that the MARN professional team can quickly come to the rescue, safeguarding marine wildlife. It requires the collective effort of everyone.
 
Responsible Authority and Spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact Number: 07-3383203 or 0919-613467
Release Date: April 18, 2024
 

Christophe Logette, the Director of the Centre of Documentation Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution (CEDRE) in France, visited Taiwan and met with the Ocean Conservation Administration today (28th). They exchanged experiences and technologies related to marine pollution response personnel training and witnessed the publication of the Chinese version of the "Marine HNS Response Manual (NHS Manual)”. This marks a significant milestone in enhancing Taiwan's professional capabilities in marine environmental protection.

CEDRE is a globally recognized professional training institution for marine pollution response. In 2020, the Ocean Conservation Administration signed a memorandum of cooperation with this center, maintaining close contact and conducting annual joint marine oil and chemical spill response training. As a result of this ongoing collaboration, professional certificates have been obtained. The Ocean Conservation Administration explained that the HNS Manual is an essential guide for responding to marine chemical pollution, covering conventions and regulations related to chemical transport, hazard and behavior classification, preparedness, response, post-leak management, etc. It provides a division of responsibilities and collaboration methods among governments, industries, and rescue organizations, ensuring effective response actions among all parties in the event of a crisis. This manual is very helpful for Taiwan in establishing a response division and framework for marine chemical pollution. Therefore, the Ocean Conservation Administration requested authorization from CEDRE last year to translate it into Chinese for use.

The Ocean Conservation Administration stated that with active coordination and assistance from CEDRE, the Chinese version of the HNS Manual has successfully obtained approval from all authors and sponsoring institutions and has been published on both parties' official websites. The Chinese version of the manual will allow Chinese-speaking response personnel to better understand the guiding principles, procedures, and best practices in the manual, enabling them to take effective action in the event of marine chemical pollution incidents and mitigate potential impacts on marine environments and public health.

Director-General Hsiang-wen Huang of the Ocean Conservation Administration expressed that they will continue to cooperate with CEDRE in personnel training. They have scheduled to visit CEDRE again in May this year for oil pollution (IMO Level 2) and chemical pollution (IMO Operational Level) response training. They have invited personnel from the Ministry of the Interior, Maritime & Port Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communication, Industrial Development Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Chemicals Administration of the Ministry of Environment, Coast Guard Administration of the Ocean Affairs Council, local governments, and industry units to participate, aiming to strengthen the domestic marine pollution response cooperation network, continuously enhance the professional level of marine pollution response personnel at all levels in Taiwan, and prepare for future marine pollution incidents.

Responsible Authority and Spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact Number: 07-3383203 or 0919-613467
Release Date: March 28, 2024
 

The Ocean Conservation Administration, Ocean Affairs Council announced the "Cetacean Conservation Program" on February 7, 2024, aiming to conserve cetaceans and reduce human threats to maintain the population of cetacean species in Taiwan's maritime regions. The program outlines the main threats faced by cetaceans and proposes specific action plans to mitigate these threats, integrating the efforts of various departments to collectively safeguard the habitat environment for Taiwan's cetaceans. Since 2019, the Ocean Conservation Administration has initiated the Taiwan Cetacean Population Survey Project, expanding from the waters of Hualien to include Yilan, Keelung, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung, with at least 19 cetacean species observed over five years, totaling 380 sightings. This project has gradually completed a comprehensive survey of Taiwan's surrounding waters. The Ocean Conservation Administration emphasizes that cetaceans are top-tier predators in marine ecosystems and serve as crucial indicators of marine environmental health, requiring collective efforts to protect them.

To promote cetacean conservation and monitor changes in cetacean resources in Taiwan's surrounding waters, the Ocean Conservation Administration has continuously implemented the "Taiwan Cetacean Population Survey Project" from 2019 to 2023. Through multiple expert meetings and revisions, the "Cetacean Conservation Program" has been finalized and announced, reflecting Taiwan's cetacean inventory, international conservation rankings, known resource distribution, and major survival threats faced by cetaceans such as hunting and trading, bycatch and entanglement, marine pollution and waste, underwater noise, and ship strikes. The program proposes five conservation work directions: legal regulations and enforcement, monitoring research, habitat maintenance and human activity management, education and outreach, and private sector and international cooperation, aiming to mitigate potential threats to cetacean survival through practical conservation actions.

The Ocean Conservation Administration explained that, to understand the potential cetacean resources in other surrounding sea areas of Taiwan, they have expanded their investigation beyond the cetacean populations in the waters of Hualien, western Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan, starting from 2022, extending the range to include Ilan and Keelung, and further south to Kaohsiung and Pingtung by 2023. Over five years, they have conducted a total of 78 surveys, witnessing at least 19 cetacean species and a total of 380 times, with Risso's dolphins observed the most at 132 times, followed by spinner dolphins observed 47 times.

In 2023, the survey results included 11 cetacean species observed 47 times, including Risso's dolphins, Fraser's dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins, spinner dolphins, false killer whales, and rough-toothed dolphins in the waters off Kaohsiung. Tropical spotted dolphins and spinner dolphins were found in the waters off the west side of Pingtung, while a group of approximately 30-35 large whales, likely sperm whales, were observed in the waters off Shihti, Hualien. A group of Chinese white dolphins, including a mother and calf pair, was also observed in the waters off Changhua and Yunlin, with seven individual identifications.

Director-General Hsiang-wen Huang of the Ocean Conservation Administration stated that cetaceans are highly migratory species, and their distribution information and population dynamics rely on long-term and extensive surveys. In the future, the Ocean Conservation Administration will continue to expand the scope of investigation, monitor changes in cetacean populations, and actively integrate resources from central and local government agencies, private enterprises, organizations, and academic institutions to implement cetacean conservation actions.

Responsible Authority and Spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact Number: 07-3383203 or 0919-613-467
Release Date: February 17, 2024

 

The Ocean Conservation Administration, Ocean Affairs Council held a press conference today (31st) for Ocean Citizen Scientists, highlighting the progress of domestic marine citizen science initiatives, commending actively participating groups and individuals, and introducing the six selected projects for the theme "Deciphering the Ocean, Envisioning the Future" in 2023. According to the Ocean Conservation Administration, domestic marine citizen science projects cover various aspects such as marine biology and marine waste. By promoting six new emerging projects, bringing the total to 50, they aim to offer more opportunities for public engagement in marine citizen science and conservation, thereby further advancing development in domestic citizen science.

Regarding international marine citizen science development, countries like the EU and the US have enacted special laws to promote citizen science. For instance, the US has over 500 citizen science projects. During her speech, Director-General Huang Hsiang-wen of the Ocean Conservation Administration stated that since 2019, the administration has launched the Ocean Citizen Scientist Development Program focusing on cetaceans, sea turtles, coral reefs, and fishing. They aspire to promote Taiwan's involvement in marine citizen science and subsequently proposed the "Taiwan Marine Citizen Science Action Strategy" in 2022, outlining four strategies: "Supporting the development of citizen science," "Raising public awareness of marine citizen science," "Enhancing the quality and sustainability of citizen science data," and "Promoting the openness and application of citizen science data." Over the past few years, in conjunction with local guardian projects, our country's citizen science has expanded from 10 categories to 44 projects. With the addition of six projects this year, the total number of domestically implemented projects will reach 50. Director-General Huang Hsiang-wen also mentioned that in 2021, ten units, including the Biodiversity Research Center at Academia Sinica, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency under the Ministry of Agriculture, the Biodiversity Research Institute, the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, the National Park Service under the Ministry of the Interior, and the National Taiwan Museum, established the Taiwan Biodiversity Information Alliance (TBIA). The TBIA database now has accumulated over ten million records, and data reported by all parties may also be incorporated in the future. Today's data can contribute to tomorrow's scientific reports and even serve as guidelines for government policy. We look forward to witnessing the thriving future of these 50 marine citizen science projects.

The Ocean Conservation Administration explained that in 2023, they organized the "Deciphering the Ocean, Envisioning the Future" submission activity, selecting six projects: "Citizen Scientists Calculate Better Than Abacus," "Land Crab Ecology Guardians," “Chasing Undersea Agricultural Waste”, "Tracing the Footprints of Rhynchobatus Australiae," and "Together We Fish", “Taiwan Bird Life - Taiwan Seabird Diet Investigation." These projects, led by scientists, will conduct investigations with the public, analyze reported data, and establish marine databases while strengthening marine monitoring capabilities.

Furthermore, the administration added that current domestic marine citizen science projects cover over ten different areas. For instance, the Taiwan Coral Reef Examination, initiated by the Taiwan Environmental Information Association, monitors coral reefs in various regions of Taiwan annually, providing insights into their health. The "Whale Finder" project launched by the Taiwan Cetacean Society records cetacean species, quantities, coordinates, etc., through an app, helping understand their lifestyles and habitats. The "Shark and Ray Sightings Report" project by Congratulafins encourages divers to report species, quantities, environments, behaviors, etc., shedding light on the most frequently sighted species and their habitats.

The Ocean Conservation Administration emphasized that marine citizen science is a method of involving citizens in scientific investigations, collecting observations related to the ocean in different regions and times. In the future, the Ocean Conservation Administration will continue to hold relevant seminars and promotional activities. More information can be found on the Ocean Citizen Scientist website (https://sites.google.com/view/ocs2021). The administration invites more people to join in safeguarding a healthy marine environment and working towards the future of our oceans!
 
Responsible Authority and Spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact Number: 07-3383203 or 0919-613467
Release Date: January 31, 2024
 

Three outstanding young individuals from India, Nigeria, and Taiwan emerge as winners of the 2023 Youth Innovation Challenge: Saving Our Seas (YIC)! Chosen from 15 finalists, each winner receives a prize of $1,000 for their proposed solutions to address marine issues, including conservation, biodiversity, and marine debris. The Taiwan Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA), in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) through the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP), is pleased to announce this year’s finalists and winners.
“The 2023 YIC finalists will address ongoing concerns of marine debris and incorporate two additional themes— the global 30 X 30 initiative and marine biodiversity.” Julia Hsiang-Wen Huang, the director general of the Taiwan OCA, said. “The number of submissions for this year reached an impressive 136 entries from 50 different countries, marking a significant growth compared to last year's 84 submissions from 32 countries.”
OCA and NAAEE express their admiration for the unique and innovative ideas presented by the challengers on this year's themes. They hope that the challengers will continue to pursue their innovative ideas and progressively work towards realizing their goals. "The YIC provides an amazing opportunity to recognize young leaders working to address marine issues around the world. We're excited to see the passion and ingenuity that this year’s applicants will surely bring to their communities," said Judy Braus, executive director of NAAEE.
 
The three winners for this year have proposed the following innovative challenges:
 
The Coral Conservancy: The First For-Youth By-Youth Coral Transplantation and Restoration Initiative Project in India

Ajay Sawant, India
Coral continues to decline in the Indian Ocean due to environmental degradation from pollution, harmful fishing methods, coral mining, and other factors. Ajay's innovation—a youth-led coral transplantation project in Mumbai—aims to rejuvenate the biodiversity and biomass of the adjacent waters. With a focus on addressing the critical decline of coral reefs and their ecosystem services, this project aligns with the global 30 x 30 action plan and SDG14 goals for the ocean. To achieve this goal, he and a dedicated team of passionate and trained young individuals, under the guidance of marine experts and with methodologies tailored to the Indian ecosystem, will employ advanced coral transplantation techniques to effectively restore and revive the coral reefs. Through educational programs and community outreach initiatives, this project will also inform coastal populations about the significance of marine protected areas and the importance of traditional sustainable practices.Ajay’s video: https://youtu.be/Nhdl0GeImUU TeamUpcyclers' Ocean Restoration Challenge

Jennifer Uchechukwu Obiorah, NigeriaAfter noticing a learning gap across primary and secondary school students regarding education about SDGs, climate change, and marine debris, Jennifer came up with the idea to host an inter-school marine debris challenge in Nigeria for students with the target of reaching out to an average of 10,000 students across the federation. The "TeamUpcyclers' Ocean Restoration Challenge" would run for two months, and would include four master classes to educate the students about the SDGs, climate change, marine environments, and how to conserve the marine ecosystem and biodiversity by removing marine debris. One winning team each from the primary sector and the secondary sector and one winning team for the most creative project will receive a prize. Having already established several partnerships in the past, Jennifer and her team plan to scale this project with the aim of reaching 50,000 Nigerian students in 5 years. 
Jennifer’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2H8UbCu-s8
The Ocean Library

Keira Chen, TaiwanAs a volunteer at her local library, Keira noticed how young children are genuinely interested in reading, and how they especially enjoy the library's comfy reading corner. With this in mind, Keira came up with an innovative solution to promote ocean conservation to young children at her library by setting up an ocean-themed reading corner. The ocean-themed corner would include shelves filled with children's picture books promoting ocean protection. Soft blue pillows, colorful chairs, and marine stuffed animals would attract children's interest to read in the corner. Each weekend, a group of volunteers would have story-telling sessions to educate the children about ocean protection and discuss examples of ocean waste. The volunteers will be trained beforehand to ensure that they have adequate story-telling skills and accurate knowledge of marine life and current ocean issues. Beyond storytelling, other activities in the ocean-themed reading corner will include a small puppet show and opportunities to create artwork of marine animals and ocean protection, which will subsequently be displayed in the library ocean corner. This project aims to increase children's passion for protecting our ocean and marine animals while also empowering them with clear solutions and realistic steps to protect ocean ecosystems.
The OCA and NAAEE congratulate the winners and all participants for their concern to the marine environment and innovative thinking. They look forward to witnessing the continued impact of these initiatives on global environmental conservation efforts.
Keira’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3mBjgdbzQ0
 
Check out 2023 Youth Innovation Challenge Winners and Finalists at: https://thegeep.org/youth-innovation-challenge-2023-winners ! 
Further information:
About YIC:
https://thegeep.org/youth-innovation-challengeThe Youth Innovation Challenge invites applicants from 15 to 30 years of age to propose a solution to address marine issues, including conservation, biodiversity, and marine debris. Solutions can incorporate a variety of approaches but must include environmental education. Solutions must be innovative, feasible, and informed by research.
About Taiwan OCA:
https://www.oca.gov.tw/en/index.jspThe Ocean Conservation Administration, Ocean Affairs Council is the competent authority for implementing the Marine Pollution Control Act and the category of marine wildlife specified in the Wildlife Conservation Act. The OCA is also in charge of the businesses relating to marine nature landscapes and nature monuments as specified in the Culture Heritage Preservation Act.
About NAAEE:
https://naaee.org/For more than five decades, the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) has served as the professional association, champion, and backbone organization for the field of environmental education (EE), working with EE professionals across United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as globally, to advance environmental literacy and civic engagement to create a more equitable and sustainable future. 

Responsible entity and spokesperson: OCA Deputy Director-General Hsin-Chen Sung
Phone: 886-7-338-2057 #262021 or 886-905-205-669
Date: November/29/2023

To promote sustainable development of marine environment in the APEC region, Ocean Affair Council will host the 22nd APEC  Roundtable Meeting on the Involvement of the Business/Private Sector in the Sustainability of the Marine Environment on 6-7 September 2023. The roundtable meeting is composed of two main topics- “Development of Marine Conservation under Offshore Wind Farm Operations” and “Updates and Challenges of Blue Carbon Economy,” inviting the APEC delegates from Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, as well as international experts and domestic representatives from industry, government, and academia, are invited to gather in Taipei for further discussion.

Ocean Affair Council indicates that, this project is applied to APEC Ocean and Fisheries Working Group (OFWG) annually by the government. To support APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040 and align with the theme of APEC United States this year, “Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future for All,” which focuses on three main priorities, “Interconnected, Innovative, and Inclusive,” the 22nd meeting aims to explore the novel and new topics under APEC’s agenda of marine conservation and sustainable development.

The Roundtable Meeting has received with strong supported from Ms. Mónica Rojas Noack, Lead Shepherd of APEC OFWG, as well as numerous member economies. On the first day, the experts from Japan, Korea, and Australia will lead the discussion related to the Balance between Offshore Wind Farm Development and Marine Conservation and Marine Spatial Planning and Marine Ecosystem Environmental Impact Assessment. On the following day, the theme will shift to “The Potential and Contribution of Blue Carbon to the Net-Zero Development Goal” and “Improving the Carbon Sequestration Capacity for Marine Ecosystems” will be explored by speakers from Indonesia, Thailand, and Australia. This aligns with the core principles of APEC 2023 for Net Zero and Sustainability by the cooperation between public and private sectors so as to reach the OFWG development goals.

Ocean Conservation Administration has invited APEC delegates and experts from the region to exchange in this Roundtable Meeting at Taipei. OCA also welcomes all friends who are interested in marine conservation to register via the link (https://forms.gle/XTWnM3oF1CHXR1dGA). Participants will have the opportunity to listen to expert presentations and engage in discussions among professionals, government officials, and academics, all focusing on the development of marine conservation. For further details, please stay tuned to OCA’s official website and Facebook page.
 
Responsible Authority and Spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact number: 07-3383202 or 0919-613-467
Issue date:August 17, 2023

The Taiwan Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA), in collaboration with the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) through the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP), called on young people aged 15–30 from countries around the world to share fresh ideas to tackle marine debris. This year, a total of eighty-four (84) innovations from thirty-two (32) countries were submitted to the Youth Innovation Challenge (YIC). Standing out from all the submissions, each of the fifteen (15) finalists will receive an e-certificate and communication toolkit. In addition, the top three (3) YIC winners were chosen from the finalists to receive a $1,000 USD grant.
 
We are excited to announce the winners of the second year of this challenge and share their innovative ideas to tackle marine debris:
Reducing Debris in Akassa Marine Environment Through Social Behavioural ChangeMac-Donald Taribio Jim-Dorgu | Yenagoa, Nigeria
Addressing the problem of marine debris in his region, Mac-Donald Taribio Jim-Dorgu aims to organize and facilitate town hall meetings with influential community leaders—including traditional rulers, youth leaders, women groups, faith-based organizations, and leaders of African traditional religion—across 20 coastal communities in Nigeria. The goal of this solution is to use environmental education as a lifelong learning tool to inculcate awareness of the importance of marine ecosystems in relation to human health, food security, equity, and climate change. The town hall meetings will use research-based communication tools, including Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Community Mapping (CM) to explore the causes, effects, and solutions to marine debris in these communities. Through these town hall meetings, communities will be encouraged to develop Community By-Laws against pollution and littering practices, and Community Marine Protection Vanguards to protect nearby coasts. This solution will also get community members involved through organized beach cleanups, where volunteers can sell the plastic they collect to local recycling companies.
Mac-Donald Taribio Jim-Dorgu’s Video: https://youtu.be/uixY6WW2ZfA
 
The Ocean’s Story: Performing Arts to Save the SeaKyo Lee | Waterloo, Canada
After noticing the vast number of audiences reached by her school's grand musicals, Kyo Lee envisioned The Ocean's Story, a school-wide theatrical project designed to mitigate the impacts of marine pollution in every stage of the production, from scripting to performance to education. In collaboration with her school's drama department, Kyo's project will include a five-step process to write and perform a theatrical piece that would educate the community about marine debris in her region. The first step of this process will involve environmental education about marine debris and then will mobilize students to collect litter through a community-wide beach cleanup. Materials from the beach cleanup that can be reused will later be used to create costumes, props, and sets. The next steps of the process include student-led scriptwriting using research on the issue of marine debris, prop and set design, and a grand performance for the community. The performance will be an opportunity to raise awareness for marine pollution within the region, imbuing thought, discussion, and action that will create a positive ripple effect for the wider community.
Kyo Lee’s Video: https://youtu.be/B4UJZu98hTI
 
Litter Barrier Muhamad Zulhairil Danial Bin Mohd Zulkifli li, Nur Fatin Fitrah Binti Ahmad Kamal, Nur Syadhira Binti Mohd Razali, & Muhammad Ismar Izhar Bin Ishak | Terengganu, Malaysia
Recognizing the presence of litter in rivers and its harm to waterways and ultimately the ocean, Muhamad Zulhairil Danial Bin Mohd Zulkifli (Zulhairil) and his teammates came up with a solution called Litter Barrier. Little Barrier is a floating litter trap made out of affordable (and glow-in-the-dark) materials that can be placed along the shoreline of river beds to collect floating debris. This is a feasible way to kickstart river management among local communities in Terengganu. With a focus on youth, this team will host workshops and lectures to provide education about the problem of marine debris and give tutorials on using Litter Barrier to local communities. Any plastic collected in the litter traps can be sold to recycling companies, providing a source of income for local community members.
Zulhairil’s team Video: https://youtu.be/xUVz4dK9z4Q
 
“We appreciate the North American Association for Environmental Education running YIC for the second year. The passion and creativity in this year’s submissions are inspiring. Marine debris has become a pressing worldwide issue. We look forward to seeing this challenge help raise public awareness and reduce marine debris. We hope these ideas from young people’s point of view encourage public and private sectors to address marine debris in more innovative ways.”– Julia Hsiang-Wen Huang, director general, Ocean Conservation Administration, Taiwan.
 
“We are so excited to recognize the 2022 YIC winners and finalists—a talented group of creative problem-solvers who work directly with their local communities to protect marine ecosystems. These outstanding young innovators are an inspiration to all of us and show that education is a powerful tool to help tackle our most pressing issues.” – Judy Braus, executive director, North American Association for Environmental Education
 
Watch YIC Winner's thank you video here: https://youtu.be/6BW-4N4ocI4
Check out GEEP’s website to learn more about the finalists and winners this year and watch their pitch videos: https://thegeep.org/youth-innovation-challenge-2022-winners

Responsible entity and spokesperson: OCA Deputy Director-General Hsin-Chen Sung
Phone:07-3382057 #262021 or 0905-205669
Date: November/30/2022
 

In response to World Cleanup Day, the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) and the Forestry Bureau, in cooperation with the Yilan County Government, the Yunlin County Government and the Tainan City Government, organized marine debris and beach cleanup activities on September 17. Through the marine debris salvaging operation by the environmental protection fleet to beach cleanup activities on the coastal security forest, 5,865 kilograms of marine waste (4,810 kilograms of general waste and 1,055 kilograms of recyclable waste) were removed to create a sound marine environment and protect the sustainable development of the coast and the ocean together.
Since 2020, the Executive Yuan has been actively promoting the "Salute to the Ocean" policy, integrating the resources of the central ministries and cooperating with 19 local governments with coastal regions to establish a marine cleanup mechanism to protect the marine environment. The OCA and the local government have recruited 5,186 environmental protection vessels to encourage fishermen to bring waste and resource recovery materials to shore for sorting and recycling through the exchange and incentive mechanisms. As of August 2022, the environmental protection fleet has brought back 76 tons of marine debris, in addition to fishermen bringing back waste fishing nets for recycling, most of them were categorized as plastic bottles and glass bottles. The OCA calls on the public to start from themselves to reduce the use of disposable products from the source.
Julia Hsiang-Wen Huang, Director-General of the OCA expressed her gratitude to the National Forest Volunteer Association of the Forestry Bureau for initiating the beach clean-up activity and to the Tainan City Water Environment Protection Volunteers for their joint response. As to the beach cleanup activity, she especially thanked the Yilan County Government, Yunlin County Government and Tainan City Government for mobilizing the environmental protection fleet to assist in the marine environmental cleanup operation, and to raise public awareness of marine conservation through the marine cleanup activities. She hopes that more organizations will join the ranks of protecting the marine environment and provide the public with a quality recreational environment, so that they can embrace the ocean and experience its beauty. The OCA and the Forestry Bureau will continue to combine public and private resources to solve the problem of marine debris and maintain a beautiful marine environment together.
 
Responsible Authority and Spokesperson: Hsin-Chen Sung, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact number: 07-3382057 or 0905-205-669

The Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) has designated the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins Wildlife Habitat of Importance since September 1, 2020. In June 2021, the OCA proceeded to promote the "Conservation Plan for the Taiwanese Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin" by integrating various agencies and proposing 4 major directions, 11 specific strategies and 44 priority actions. At present, the white dolphin conservation project has been promoted for one full year, and the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) has invited various agencies to review work progress. With the joint and concerted efforts of all units, it is hoped that the goal of conserving Taiwan's white dolphin population and habitats will be realized.
The OCA stated that 32 public and private institutions and agencies are involved in the "Conservation Plan for the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin", including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the Maritime Port Bureau of the MOTC, the National Academy for Educational Research, the Fisheries Research Institute of the COA, the Environmental Protection Administration, the Water Resources Agency of the MOEA, the Industrial Development Bureau of the MOEA, the Bureau of Energy of the MOEA, Taiwan Power Company, the Taiwan International Ports Corporation Limited, the Bureau of Energy, MOEA, as well as counties and municipal governments and fishermen's organizations of regions where the potential survival of white dolphins is impacted. To date, the Conservation Plan has completed research on white dolphin population monitoring, underwater activity monitoring, land-based observation surveys, population differentiation and scarring analysis, as well as a database of 68 Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins. Furthermore, the Marine Animal Rescue Network and the Marine Conservation Wildlife Utilization Management System have been completed, and a natural history collection of 60 cetaceans has been completed.
To protect the habitat of Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis), also known as Chinese White Dolphins, in addition to conducting bait releases of white dolphins, 2,061 tons of marine debris were removed, 3,852 educational and promotional activities were conducted, and 107 cases of development on important habitat for Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins were supervised. This implemented the review of important habitat development cases to protect the habitat of Indo-pacific Humpback dolphins. At the same time, the Conservation Plan also promotes the cetacean observer mechanism, establishes a working communication platform, strengthens on-site inspections in conjunction with the EPA, and promotes fishermen's participation in the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin Protection Patrol Fleet to carry out white dolphin sighting reports and marine conservation education work, forming a positive community participation model.
The OCA said that the conservation of white dolphins cannot rely on a single agency, but rather on close interdepartmental cooperation of the government, the participation of experts and scholars in various fields, civil society organizations and public support, so as to achieve concrete results. Therefore, the OCA is grateful for the joint efforts of all contributing agencies and the participation of our fishermen's organization partners. In the future, the OCA will continue to pay attention to the information on Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins and their population dynamics, and continue to promote Taiwan's Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphin conservation programs, adjusting regular work and implementation strategies in priority restoration areas on a rolling basis.

Responsible Authority and Spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact number: 07-3383203 or 0919-613-467

In order to allow the public to better understand the significance and value of Taiwan's first stranded blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) , the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA), in collaboration with the National Cheng Kung University and the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, have adopted a 3D modeling technology to assist in the restoration of the original skeleton to recreate the original appearance of the blue whale.
According to the OCA, the discovery of blue whales along the Changbin coastline in Taitung in January 2020 was the first record of a blue whale being stranded in Taiwan. Because of the scarcity of blue whales in the world and the preciousness of the specimens, the OCA invited experts in the field of cetaceans in Taiwan to jointly conduct academic research. The "Memorandum of Understanding on Joint Research on Skeletal Specimens of Blue Whales" was signed with the National Cheng Kung University Marine Biology and the Cetacean Research Center (MBCRC) and the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium (NMMBA) on November 29, 2021. It is hoped that the skeletal specimen of the whole body of the blue whale can be restored and reconstructed for public display to promote marine environment education and conservation concepts.
The OCA further stated that the stranded blue whale, although a juvenile, was 20 meters in length and not only had a lot of cartilage tissue, but also had a severely fragmented skull, both of which posed a big challenge to restoration and preservation work. The bones had to be steamed until the flesh was completely detached, then repeatedly de-oiled, dried and de-colored over a long period of time. Only then could the bones be stored in a medium to long-term state before the detailed restoration and positioning of the broken bone fragments and then finally the coloring and pre-assembly. In order to keep the original bones intact and correctly assembled, the entire blue whale skeleton was modeled by 3D scanning and then the virtual skeleton was assembled through digital modeling. At the same time, the missing bone parts of the head were simulated and repaired, providing an important reference for the subsequent reconstruction technology of original bone parts.
At present, there are about 156 blue whale skeleton parts (including baleen plates and attached fishing gear ropes) that have been pre-processed by the National Cheng Kung University, all of which have been handed over to the NMMBA for the next stage of skeleton restoration. It is expected that the skeletons of the blue whale will be unveiled at the museum in the summer of next year (2023). For those interested in marine biology, don’t miss out on the latest updates!

Responsible authority and spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact number: 07-3383203 or 0919-613-467
Issue Date: Aug 23, 2022

The Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) organized the 2nd annual "Taiwan Marine Citizen Science Datathon," with the final round of the event taking place today (Aug 20). The entry "How are Horseshoe Crabs Doing Today?" (你絕鱟了嗎？) winning the prize of NT$50,000. This year's datathon focuses on the visualization of data, presenting the complex data collected over the years in a simple and intuitive chart, and organizing the analyzed data and environmental issues into meaningful stories to convey to the public, so that more people can pay attention to marine environmental issues together.
The entry "How are Horseshoe Crabs Doing Today?" took the top spot in this year's datathon, featuring a work that utilizes creative harmonic banners and a retro style setting like a martial arts instruction manual, allowing the audience to understand the living fossil horseshoe crab out of curiosity. The "Sad Tidings of Sea Turtles” (海龜ê哀擱) is a story about the global decline of sea turtles and then leads the reader to the threats of fishing activities, garbage and the external environment, in a format that is well organized and easy to understand, earning the entry a runner-up spot in the competition. The entry "Horseshoe Crabs in the Palace" cleverly combines the homophone (in Chinese) of the horseshoe crab and the title of the famous period drama (Empresses in the Palace), completely presenting the geographical distribution of the horseshoe crab, habitat and future conservation actions, earning it the third place.
The OCA stated that the first datathon held last year received an enthusiastic response, this year, in addition to allowing open access to the contestants of more than 110,000 marine conservation data on the OCA i-ocean website, the OCA also invited 12 civic organizations to jointly provide citizen data scientists with data, to achieve the seamless cooperation between the government and the private sector for open data use and creation.
In the past, civic organizations have been accumulating relevant data for a long time, but due to manpower and resource constraints, it is not easy to further analyze the data and it is also difficult to translate it into scientific knowledge for the general public to understand. Therefore, two workshops were planned for this event, in which data engineers reviewed the existing data of NGOs and provided analysis and suggestions to address their pain points. In addition, an infographics workshop was arranged for the participants to understand how to finetune the data and to guide the audience to understand the ocean through visual optimization and then to facilitate the love and care for the ocean.
The six teams that entered the final round of the competition included many talented people with backgrounds in marine science, visual design, and data analysis, as well as partners who care about marine issues. Through the visualization of information, it is hoped that the teams will be able to combine civic organizations, data analysis experts, scholars and design talents to transform the long-accumulated ocean-related survey data into specific and easy-to-understand infographics, and to convey the story of changes to the ocean environment parsed from the data. It is also hoped that through this event, more people will join the ranks of citizen scientists and contribute to marine conservation in the future.
 
Responsible authority and spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact number: 07-3383203 or 0919-613-467
Issue Date: Aug 20, 2022

The Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) held the "2022 Marine Conservation Seminar - Protection of Taiwan’s Marine Ecology" (2022海洋保育面面觀-臺灣海域生態守護研討會) at the International Convention Center of National Taiwan University Hospital today and tomorrow, and presented certificates to local governments in recognition of excellent performance in marine environment management and conservation in 2021. The certificates were presented by Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Minister Lee Chung-Wei. Over 200 people attended the event, demonstrating the enthusiasm of the people of Taiwan to actively participate in marine conservation.
Minister Li pointed out that Taiwan is an island nation surrounded by the sea and blessed with rich marine resources. Therefore, how to make the sustainable use of resources through marine conservation measures has proven to be ever more urgent. In the past year, the OCA has promoted the Taiwan Marine Ecological and Environmental Protection Program, the Coastal Cleanup and Maintenance Program, and the Marine Pollution Monitoring and Response Plan, and launched various marine conservation policies with resource sustainability as the core spirit. The OCA is actively involved in various undertakings such as marine ecological rehabilitation initiatives and surveys, marine environmental management and maintenance, marine conservation rule of law and marine conservation education promotion, etc. The OCA is committed to playing a key role in promoting the nation’s net-zero carbon emission policies and seeking the sustainable development of marine resources.
According to the OCA, this seminar will focus on the four main axes of "sustainable resources," "healthy habitats," "clean ocean" and "protection of the near-shore" and invited 30 experts and scholars in the field of marine conservation from industry, government and academe to share various marine conservation issues. In addition to sharing the results of marine conservation-related surveys, the event seeks to collect opinions from all sectors as an important reference for strengthening marine conservation-related policies in the future.
In addition, in order to prevent marine pollution, protect the marine environment, maintain the marine ecology, ensure the health of the people and sustainable marine resources, the Marine Environmental Management Assessment Program was used as a basis to review the marine environmental management mechanisms and actions of local governments and encourage local governments to continuously improve the effectiveness of marine environmental protection to demonstrate the determination of the central and local governments to protect the marine environment. At the opening of the seminar, the counties and municipalities that performed well in the assessment were publicly recognized in the "2021 Annual Marine Environmental Management Assessment," namely Taoyuan City, Kaohsiung City, Tainan City (Group 1), Hsinchu City, Pingtung County, Yunlin County, Hsinchu County (Group 2), Hualien County, Kinmen County and Yilan County (Group 3). In addition, Taoyuan City and Chiayi County were awarded the Special Contribution Award for attracting the domestic market to increase the scale of recycling and reuse to build a complete recycling system, thus addressing the front-end waste treatment dilemma, and improving the overall recycling effectiveness. OAC Minister Lee Chung-Wei expressed his sincere congratulations to the winning counties and cities and also expressed his great respect to the local governments for their continuous support and efforts to improve the quality of marine environment.
Julia Huang Hsiang-Wen, Director-General of the OCA, noted that in addition to responding to the "Aichi Biodiversity Targets" established by the Convention on Biological Diversity and the "2030 Sustainable Development Goals" of the United Nations, the OCA has also adopted "Clean Ocean," "Healthy Habitat" and "Sustainable Resources" as its vision, echoing the theme of the event. It is hoped that through the seminars today and tomorrow, more people will learn about marine conservation, and through public-private partnerships and community participation, all parties shall work together to protect Taiwan's marine environment and ecology.
 
Responsible authority and spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact number: 07-3383203 or 0919-613-467
Issue Date: Aug 13, 2022
 

The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a protected marine wildlife in Taiwan. The main spawning grounds in Taiwan are at the Penghu Islands, Orchid Island (Lanyu), Little Liuqiu and Taiping Island in Spratly Islands. The number of female turtles laying eggs in Little Liuqiu also reached a record high this year (2022). With the recent spike in visitor numbers to Little Liuqiu, the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) reminds the public to be more careful when conducting various recreational activities in the sea and not to disturb or harm the green sea turtles when laying eggs or hatchlings (baby turtles) in order to avoid breaking the law.
The OCA stated that there are seven beaches on Little Liuqiu, namely Zhong'ao, Yuchengwei, Lobster Cave, Geban Bay, Shanfu Ecological Corridor, Duzaiping and Beauty Cave, etc. In the past years, the beaches where most of the sea turtles come ashore to lay eggs were in Duzaiping and Geban Bay. By the end of July, there were eight female turtles coming ashore to lay eggs and 15 nests were laid, a record high, with new female turtles spotted laying eggs. This year, Zhong’ao Beach was more preferred by female turtles and there were 8 nests identified, which shows that Little Liuqiu is an important spawning habitat for Taiwan's green sea turtles.
The green sea turtle spawning season generally lasts from May to October each year, with July and August being the peak months. To prevent tourists from interfering with or harming the turtles and to allow the hatchlings to return to the sea, the OCA commissioned a team from the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium to erect "Do not touch, avoid stepping" warning signs on the beach around the egg nests this year. The OCA again urges visitors to minimize nighttime activities on the beach and to avoid the use of strong lights. The OCA also reminds local businesses to remove paddleboards and kayaks from the beach after dusk to create an open beach for turtles to find suitable spawning grounds, so that we can create a turtle-friendly environment and maintain the sustainability of the sea turtle population.
The OCA noted that recently there are hatchlings on the beaches day and night, so the public are reminded to carefully watch their steps. For visitors who bring pets to the beach, pet leashes should always be secured to avoid pets attacking hatchlings or spawning female turtles. When female turtles or hatchlings are spotted, please keep distance and do not touch or harass the animals. Sea turtles are protected marine wildlife according to the Wildlife Conservation Act, do not arbitrarily harass, hunt, kill or use them for any other purposes; violators may face criminal liabilities. Please be careful when carrying out recreational activities in the sea during the breeding season from May to October. If you find any suspected illegal activities, please help to collect all the evidence and report to the local marine conservation authorities or report to the "118" hotline, so that we can work together to protect the green sea turtles and marine resources.


Responsible Authority and Spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact number: 07-3383202 or 0919-613-467
Release date: July 28, 2022

 

The 21st APEC Roundtable Meeting(virtual) on the Involvement of the Business/Private Sector in the Sustainability of the Marine Environment held by Ocean Conservation Administration ended with success on 21 July 2022. The meeting was attended by more than 20 experts from APEC economies including Chile, China, Indonesia, Japan, Peru, Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand, as well as nearly a hundred experts from government, industrial and academic circles in Taiwan.
In support of APEC Roadmap on Small-Scale Fisheries and Aquaculture (SSFA) endorsed this year, this Roundtable Meeting aims to explore the path to sustainable and responsible development of Small-Scale Fisheries and Aquaculture under APEC’s agenda of ocean conservation and sustainable development. Two topics, namely, " A New Era of Industry Development" and "Blue Carbon Economy" will be discussed, with specific focuses on development and barriers of Community-Based Coastal Resource Management (CBCRM), sustainable and responsible aquaculture under green energy transition, policies and measures that are helpful in enhancing blue carbon sequestration in the region, and marine debris management in blue carbon ecosystems. The result of this Roundtable Meeting will be reported to APEC Ocean and Fisheries Working Group (OFWG) in August as a reference for APEC’s future cooperation on ocean conservation and sustainable development of resources.
During the meeting, experts from Taiwan, including Dr. Hsing-Juh Lin, Professor of Department of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Dr. Ken-Mu Chang, Director General of Environmental Protection Bureau, Chiayi County, and Dr. Che-Chun Chen, Chair of Department of Aquatic Biosciences, National Chiayi University, shared experiences in development potentials of oceanic carbon cycle, public private partnership in managing marine debris derived from oyster farming conducted in Chiayi County, Taiwan, and the promotion of smart aquaculture and the combination of aquaculture and photovoltaics. Besides, officials from National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service of Chile, Department of Fisheries of Thailand, and Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia shared local experiences in enhancing the development of coastal communities and managing freshwater aquaculture. Dr. Nobuyuki Yagi, Professor of the University of Tokyo specialized in small-scale fisheries and ocean conservation stated that, fisheries and aquaculture is facing multiple risks brought by decreasing labor force, imported food and climate change. Mr. Masanori Kobayashi, Senior Research Fellow, Ocean Policy Research Institute (OPRI) of The Sasakawa Peace Foundation added that sustainable ocean economy will rely on the development of human resources, policy support, innovative technologies, public private partnership and capital investment.
Under the global net zero emission agenda, international attention on blue carbon potential has been souring in recent years. Dr. Daniel Friess, Dean of Department of Geography, National University of Singapore explained that currently there are around 25 commercial blue carbon projects around the world. While commercial blue carbon projects are on the rise, a lot of constraints and challenges are still needed to be overcome, for example, to build relevant monitoring, reporting and verification mechanism (MRV) and governance framework, and to promote equity, benefit sharing and inclusive growth of local communities. Dr. Mat Vanderklift, Director of IORA Indian Ocean Blue Carbon Hub stated that APEC economies have 55% of the world’s mangroves but 77% of the world’s mangrove loss. Finance options such as carbon market, funds, bonds and insurance can provide opportunities for the private sector to invest in the protection, improved management and restoration of relevant ecosystems and to promote blue forest economy. Dr. Atsushi Watanabe, Director of Japan Blue Economy Associated also kindly shared Blue Carbon Initiative launched in Yokohama and Fukuoka, as well as blue credit demonstration in Yokohama, Kobe, Tokuyama-Kudamatsu and Kitakyushu.
In the closing remarks, Dr. Julia Hsiang-Wen Huang, Director General, Ocean Conservation Administration, appreciated the sharing of expert speakers which presents a very different and exciting picture of blue economy, with the introduction of various new and innovative technologies, resource management, industrial practices and financing models, and reiterated that Taiwan is willing to continue exploring relevant issues with economies under APEC framework.

Responsible Authority and Spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact number: 07-3383202 or 0919-613-467
Issue date: July 22, 2022

In order to align local governments with the Marine Debris Recycling Alliance (MDRA) to form the chain of recycling of marine debris resources, the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA), Ocean Affairs Council, held a seminar on June 27, 2022, inviting members of MDRA and local governments to attend in the hope of facilitating mutual understanding through the exchange and increasing the cooperation opportunities of marine debris re-use.
The seminar was held both online and face-to-face due to the pandemic and 14 companies (organizations) and 15 local governments with a total of 46 people were invited to join the event. During the seminar, the results and planning of the pilot project entrusted to local governments, the current situation of marine debris recycling and the annual activities of the Alliance and the opinions of the Alliance members were stated and discussed. The fact that the seminar was well attended showed that all walks of life attach great importance to marine conservation and circular economy.
According to OCA, the environmental problems caused by marine debris are gradually becoming globalized, and the demand for recycled materials has increased dramatically along with the call for recycling economy. In order to encourage domestic fishermen to recycle waste fishing nets for reuse, OCA has not only entrusted county and municipal governments to try out recycling of waste fishing nets (oyster ropes) and outlying islands' waste styrofoam (floating gear), but also established the Marine Debris Recycling Alliance in 2021 to strengthen the development of the marine debris recycling economy and plan the promotion of marine debris related work from an overall perspective. This year (2022), the "Marine Debris Recycling Information Exchange Platform" (https://mdinfo.oca.gov.tw/) was established to provide information on the raw materials side and the product side, and to create matching opportunities through public information. Today, OCA held a "Marine Debris Recycling Alliance" seminar to facilitate exchange and will continue to hold various educational training or demonstrations according to the needs of the members.
In addition, in response to the 3rd National Oceans Day on June 8, 2022, OCA invited the members of MDRA to join the event. Ltd. developed Taiwan's first pair of frames made from 100% recycled nylon fishing nets - "Zero and Ocean Marine Recycled Eyewear" which was officially launched in June this year and launched in mass production. With the blessing of the ocean (https://reurl.cc/KbnD7R) presented by Chiu Sen-Pin, President of Lite-On Technology, Thomas Chen, President of Hwa Meei Optical Co., Ltd. and Chang Ping-Chiu, Chief Operating Officer of Far Eastern New Century’s Chemical Fiber Headquarters, 8 members of MDRA conducted an online demonstration of MDRA products (https://reurl.cc/ZAEm2W), among which the member 720 International Limited developed Taiwan's first pair of eyeglasses frames made from 100% recycled nylon fishing nets - "Zero & Ocean Recycled Eyeglasses," which was officially launched in June this year and now in mass production.
OCA is actively addressing the issue of marine debris and establishing a mechanism to accelerate the flow of marine debris into the proper cleanup pipeline. OCA also calls for more use from the production source and recycling industry and hopes to increase the proportion of marine waste re-use through information exchange platform sharing. The members of MDRA are cooperating with the power of corporate brands to promote the recycling of waste fishing nets and high quality products to promote the recycling of marine debris plastics, which is an exemplary case of the industry chain cooperating to work together for sustainable marine ecology and to carry through the ideal of circular economy for waste fishing nets, hoping to continue to innovate and develop technologies to expand the portfolio of marine debris products to achieve a win-win situation for both economy and ocean conservation.

Responsible Authority and Spokesperson: Sung Hsin-Chen, OCA Deputy Director-General
Tel: 0905-205-669
Date of issue: June 27, 2022

Taiwan Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA), Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) collaborates with US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) through Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) to launch ‘2022 Youth Innovation Challenge (YIC): Tackling Marine Debris.’ This challenge calls for fresh ideas of tackling marine debris issues via environmental education approach, and invites applicants between the ages of 15-30 years to propose a solution to marine debris. A Total of 15 finalists of YIC will receive a Youth Innovation certificate and be shared through social media. Furthermore, three (3) winners will be chosen from the finalists, and will receive a $1,000 USD grant.
“Since the marine debris issues have become a worldwide and concerning problem, source reduction would be the priority to address. Approaches like monitoring, investigation, clean up and community engagement are also needed. YIC hunts for the solutions from the youngsters around the world not only gives them a chance to come up with innovative ideas but also raises the public engaging to this pressing issue. We look forward to collecting creative ways to tackle marine debris via events like this. The pilot program last year received a total 144 applications from 43 countries. It was a huge success!” – Julia Hsiang-Wen Huang, Director General, Ocean Conservation Administration, Taiwan.
"We are thrilled to partner again with the Taiwan Ocean Conservation Administration to announce the 2022 Youth Innovation Challenge. The YIC provides an amazing opportunity to recognize young leaders working to solve the issue of marine debris. We were so inspired by applicants’ innovative solutions in our inaugural Youth Innovation Challenge last year, and we’re excited to see the passion and ingenuity that this year’s applicants will surely bring." – Judy Braus, Executive Director, North American Association for Environmental Education.
 
Submissions will be collected during June 29th to September 1st, for further information of this program, please check out GEEP’s website: https://thegeep.org/youth-innovation-challenge
 
Responsible entity and spokesperson: OCA Deputy Director-General Hsin-Chen Sung
Phone:07-3382057 #262021 or 0905-205669
Date: June/9/2022

As global warming and climate regulation are receiving increasing attention, the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) in recent years has been conducting monitoring surveys, conservation and restoration of marine ecosystems such as seagrass beds, mangroves, salt marshes and coral reefs, which have strong carbon sink functions, in order to achieve the 2050 net zero carbon emissions target.
According to OCA, the coral reef ecosystems are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems and the corals themselves and the exoskeletons of the huge microscopic biota they support are also among the densest for carbon fixation in the ocean. In order to understand the growth status of coral reefs in Taiwan, monitoring surveys were conducted in 2021, which showed that the coral colonies in the eastern coast and the Kenting area were relatively the healthiest, with 33 healthy or stable sites in Taiwan, but there were still 7 dysfunctional sites that needed enhanced maintenance. In recent years, OCA has also supported local organizations to conduct civic science, remove coral reef mulching and coral restoration through the "Ocean Conservation Protection Program" to promote community participation and practice ocean conservation actions and will continue to conduct coral monitoring surveys to keep track of the annual status and long-term changes of corals in Taiwan's surrounding waters.
In addition to the coral monitoring survey and conservation, OCA has been taking stock of the distribution and area of important carbon sink ecosystems (mangroves, seagrass beds and salt marshes) along the coast of Taiwan since 2019. In order to achieve the 2050 net zero emissions target, the carbon sink assessment of these three ecosystems is expected to be completed this year (2022), and the seagrass transplantation trial in Penghu area will be started at the same time and it is expected that the seagrass restoration will improve the marine habitat environment and increase the contribution of marine carbon sink.
Under the threat of global climate change, the importance of ocean carbon fixation is being emphasized and coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrass beds and salt marshes hold great potential for carbon sequestration. According to the survey conducted by OCA since 2019, the area of mangroves in Taiwan is about 680.7 hectares, seagrass beds about 25.3 hectares and salt marshes about 187.39 hectares. By continuously investigating the carbon absorption and storage of these three ecosystems, as well as soil greenhouse gas emissions, a preliminary understanding of the carbon sinks of Taiwan's mangroves, seagrass beds and salt marshes will be available by the end of this year (2022) to facilitate the pathway planning of the net zero carbon emissions target.
Seagrass beds play an important role in regulating the marine environment, purifying seawater, providing hiding places for marine organisms and providing a biodiversity-rich marine habitat environment and even help to capture plastic particles, which is also important for coastal social and economic stability. This year(2022), OCA is cooperating with the Fisheries Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan in the waters of Chixiwan, Penghu. to conduct a 50-square-meter trial of planting sea grasses such as salt grass, single-vein dicotyledonous grass and licorice in the sandy waters around the coral reefs that was planted and rehabilitated last year (2021) and will continue to monitor the ecological changes and will expand the area of sea grass restoration if the growth condition is good. 
OCA further said that people can also respond to energy saving and carbon reduction actions in their daily lives, such as taking public transportation more often, avoiding the use of disposable plastic packaging, making recycling at any time, reducing the generation of garbage and preventing garbage from drifting into the ocean to protect the ocean, the earth and our health!

Responsible Authority and Spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact number: 07-3383202 or 0919-613-467
Date of issue: June 8, 2022

The Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA), the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium (NMMBA), and the Taitung County Government today (20th) announced the release of protected loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) into the wild along the coast of Taitung. This is the first time that the OCA has installed a satellite transmitter on a rescued and recovered loggerhead sea turtle, so that scientists and experts can better understand the possible distribution of loggerhead turtles in the surrounding waters of Taiwan through the subsequent migration information of this sea turtle.
Loggerhead turtles are found in subtropical and temperate waters in three oceans and have nine distinct population segments. The North Pacific subpopulation uses Japan as its primary spawning habitat, and inhabits the Pacific Ocean as far as the California coast of the United States. This 67cm long, 37kg, loggerhead sea turtle is believed to be a female, and was a bycatch of gillnetting fishing operations off the coast of Donghe Township in Taitung County on March 1, 2022. The fishermen that discovered the turtle reported the catch to the Coast Guard. The specimen showed signs of entanglement in nets and some wounds on the forelimbs, and was sent by the Taitung County Government to the NMMBA under the Marine Animal Rescue Network (MARN) mechanism.
The OCA stated that after 2 months of treatment, the loggerhead sea turtle rehabilitated well from the wounds on the front and hind limbs, with no mental or behavioral abnormalities, and was confirmed to have recovered after blood sampling and radiological diagnosis by a veterinarian. As there have been no records of loggerhead turtles discovered in southern Taiwan, and according to historical data from satellite tracking of loggerhead turtles caught in gillnetting operations in Yilan County in the past, the hot spots for turtles are located in the northeast Taiwan waters to the East China Sea. Therefore, in order to avoid the rehabilitated turtle spending too much effort to find its way home, it was decided to take it back to the eastern coast of Taiwan for wild release after discussion with the rescue team of the NMMBA. It is also hoped that the satellite tracker installed on the turtle will allow better understanding of the turtle’s range of activities in eastern Taiwan for reference in subsequent sea turtle conservation projects.
The OCA calls on the public to call the Coast Guard "118" hotline or notify the respective county or city marine conservation agencies if they find a sea turtle stranded or in need of rescue, and to provide as much detail as possible about the location, time and description of the animal's condition, in order to allow the professional teams of the MARN to proceed to the rescue site in the shortest possible time. This will help sea turtles have a better chance of returning to the sea in good health and safely.

Responsible Authority and Spokesperson: Wu Long-Jing, OCA Deputy Director-General
Contact number: 07-3383202 or 0919-613-467
Issue date: May 20, 2022

To promote marine conservation, the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) outsourced marine ecology surveys, water quality monitoring, marine pollution prevention, and information system construction projects in 2019,and will hold an. An achievement conference on July 8-9, 2020 to share the fruitful results of these projects to the citizens caring about marine conservation. According to the OCA, the results of the projects implemented in 2019 will be displayed at the conference. As 2019 was the first full year after OCA’S establishment, despite the limitation of budgets, the OCA spared no efforts in implementing various tasks. In the future, it will continue to examine the changes in Taiwan’s marine environment and ecology and establish a linkage between marine conservation and citizens through science, technology, and public participation based on the three basic principles: “employing objective and sustainable scientific methods,” “ensuring information transparency,” and “engaging in a public-private partnership.” At the confevevce held by the OCA, Deputy Director-General Te-Hao Chen of the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium and Professor Chi-Farn Chen of the Center for Space and Remote Sensing Research, National Central University will share with the public the results of the projects, including “Ocean Information and Education Outreach," “Marine Pollution Prevention," and “Marine Water Quality Monitoring." On July 9, Deputy Secretary-General Cheng-Tsung Tseng of the Taiwan Cetacean Society, Professor I-Jiung Cheng of National Taiwan Ocean University, Research Fellow Chaolun Allen Chen of Academia Sinica, and Professor Hsing-Juh Lin of National Chung-Hsing University will share with the public rich information about “Marine Biology Research and Conservation” and “Important Ecosystem Inventory."
Responsible entity and spokesperson: OCA Deputy Director-General Hsin-Chen Sung
Mobile: 0905-205-669

The Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) and their Marine Animal Rescue Network (MARN) responded immediately and headed towards the Port of Kaohsiung after a herd of disoriented pygmy killer whales was reported to MARN in the evening of Apr. 25. When the rescue team arrived, they found that three whales were dead, one was trapped and waiting for rescue, more than ten were still in the harbor, and some had moved outwards. The Kaohsiung Harbor Police Department sent a boat to assist in the observation and prevent other ships from approaching. The OCA said that pygmy killer whale is a species that often strand in southwestern Taiwan in spring. More than 200 pygmy killer whales have beached on coasts in the past two decades. On the evening of the same day last year, there were also pygmy killer whales stranded in Qijin waters in Kaohsiung. Despite days of treatment, six of the pygmy killer whales lost their lives, which were found with hearing impairment by inspection. Marine animals strand for numerous reasons, and we don’t have a conclusion on the results yet on why those whales stranded. But the pygmy killer whale tends to mass strand given its highly social nature. Until midnight, the rescue work continued. The MARN team thanked the enthusiastic people for their active assistance in rescuing dolphins with their backhoe. Most of all, we hope that healthy dolphins could return to the sea safely.

The coral spawning season has begun. In order to create a clean spawning environment for corals, the OCA organized the first “Love the Ocean , Fight for the Ocean” ocean cleanup campaign this year at the soft coral area on the left hand side of the nuclear power plant cooling water outlet situated in Daguang Village, Hengchun Township, Pingtung County on April 19, inviting local divers and diving enthusiasts from across Taiwan to clean up the coastal waters through shore diving. More divers are urged to join the cause and fight for the ocean, in order to create a clean, safe spawning environment for the corals and foster the sustainability of the marine environment. The OCA emphasized their thanks to the efforts of local volunteers in ocean conservation and protecting the marine environment. In the future, it will continue to collaborate with local governments, volunteers, and relevant organizations to establish a comprehensive mechanism through public-private partnership. The aim is to manage and minimize trash at the source in an effort to materialize the ultimate goal of ocean conservation and resource sustainability.

2019 Taiwan Stranding Marine Animals Events Summary

Cetacean Stranding Events
There were 140 cetacean stranding events (150 individuals) in 2019, including 132 dead stranded (88%), 15 live stranded (10%) ,and 3 disorientation (2%). Among live stranded, one was released in situ (6.7%), 3 died immediately after been reported (20%), and 11 died after treatment (73.3%).
Main occurred at Lienchiang (22), Penghu (19), Kinmen (15), Miaoli (13), and Kaohsiung (12). Twenty-two species of cetacean have been identified, and the main species include IndoPacific finless porpoise (43), bottlenose dolphin (30), pygmy killer whale (13). A sampling of 20 species of cetaceans (82 individuals) collected, including 301 samples and 72 specimens. The number of stranded events was the highest in April, which was the massive stranding of pygmy killer whales. There seems to be a higher incidence of cetacean stranding from January to April, and this distribution pattern is similar to previous years. More than half of the stranded cetaceans were too decomposed to collect samples for analysis when they were found, the cause of the stranding could not be determined (51%, 77). The rest can be summarized into two main causes of death: bycatch (22%, 33) and infection (17%, 25).

Sea turtle Stranding Events  
The total number of cases reported in 2019 was 269, including 207 dead stranded (77%), and 62 live stranded (23%). Among live stranded sea turtles, 22 were released in situ (35.5%), 18 were released after rehabilitation (29%), 16 were under continuous medical care (25.8%), and 4 died immediately after been reported (6.5 %), and 2 failed to survive after treatment (3.2%). Main occurred at New Taipei (55), Taitung (45), Penghu (39), and Pingtung (38). The green sea turtle is the main abundant species, accounting for 89.22% (240), followed by 13 hawksbill, eight loggerhead, eight olive ridley, and no leatherback. A sampling of 75 sea turtles and collecting 113 samples. The number of stranding events was the highest in January. The peak period of sea turtle stranding events was from winter to spring. The pattern is similar to previous years. The main causes of live sea turtles rescue were bycatch (47%) and stranding (21%). However, 52% of the bycatch turtles were released after assessment, 27% were released after rehabilitation, and 21% are still in the rescue center. Many times, the cause of death cannot be determined because dead stranded turtles were too decomposed. One hundred eighty-two of them were buried after the essential sample collection and data recorded. By performing necropsies, the leading death causes of the rest 31 sea turtles were parasitic infection (25.8%) and propeller trauma (22.6%). Of the 24 feces containing sea turtles in 2019, 100% were found with artificial objects, which were mainly soft plastics and hard plastic pieces. Besides, after the anatomy of 85 dead sea turtles, 52 of them had artificial objects in the digestive system (61%), and the primary type was plastic threads. In the year 2019, 45 sea turtles were released, including 37 green, 4 olive ridley, and 4 hawksbill. As of December 31, 2019, 41 sea turtles were still in rescue centers. Including 30 green, 5 olive ridley, and 6 hawksbill.

Spokesman: Long-jing, Wu. Deputy Director-General of Ocean Conservation Administration
Contact Person: Xu Zhongli, Head of Marine Environmental Management Section
(+886-7-338-2057 ext. 262301)
Date of issue: September 02, 2019

• I. Establish Authority：Ocean Affairs Council
• II. The Draft Ocean Conservation Act is attached as an attachment. This announcement is also announce on the website page of News, Ocean Affairs Council and Public Policy Network Participation Platform.
• III. Please express any comments or suggestions on the contents of this announcement within 60 days from the day the site is released before the announcement.
  • A. Implementer：Ocean Conservation Administration
  • B. Address：7F., No. 25, Chenggong 2nd Rd., Qianzhen Dist., Kaohsiung City 80661
  • C. Phone number：07-3382057-262133。
  • D. Fax.：07-3381595。
  • E. E-mail：6023@oca.oac.gov.tw

To enhance horizontal linkage mechanisms among the marine pollution response authorities at all levels in Taiwan and promote their professional knowledge and executive function in dealing with large-scale leakage accidents, Chung Ching-Ta, Deputy Minister of the Ocean Affairs Council led a delegation of 19 members from the Ocean Conservation Administration, the Coast Guard Administration, and the relevant competent authorities of local governments to visit, from August 25 to September 6 this year, the Centre of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution (CEDRE) in France and attended a training course on “Cultivation of Manpower to Handle Marine Pollution Caused by Oil and HNS Spills”.

In view of the fact that marine pollution prevention and control has been a common problem facing the world and in order to avoid marine oil and HNS spills, the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) has drafted the "Domestic and Foreign Training Programs for Marine Oil Pollution Prevention and Treatment" in accordance with the "Major Ocean Oil Pollution Emergency Response Plan" approved by the Executive Yuan. To better carry out the training programs, the OCA intends to sign a memorandum of understanding with the CEDRE, a training institution certified by the International Maritime Organization to provide training for different levels of oil, HNS and other pollutants pollution. It is hoped through the signing of this MOU that both sides can cooperate to strengthen marine pollution prevention and response capabilities, marine pollution prevention technologies, exchange of information on marine research and so on. It is also hoped that both sides can work together to eventaully promote sustainable oceans and environmental resources.

Under the witness of Chung Ching-Ta, Deputy Minister of the Ocean Affairs Council and Gu, Minister of the Taipei Representative Office in France, the memorandum of understanding was signed between Julia Hsiang-Wen HUANG, Director-General of Ocean Conservation Administration, Ocean Affairs Council, and Stéphane DOLL, Director of the CEDRE. The MOU aims to strengthen cooperation in investigation of marine accidents, the implementation of experiments, the collection and release of information on environmental impacts by pollution accidents, the establishment of contingency planning and personnel training, and professional exchanges in other aspects of the sea areas. We hope that signing the MOU will not only pave a new milestone for cooperation in the marine environment conservation but also encourage active domestic investment in marine pollution prevention and conservation work.


Spokesman: Song Xin-zhen, Deputy Director-General of Ocean Conservation Administration
Contact Person: Xu Zhongli, Head of Marine Environmental Management Section
(+886-7-338-2057 ext. 262301)
Date of issue: September 02, 2019