The Overseas Expansion of Taiwanese Small-scale Tuna Longliners and the Development of the Indonesia Tuna Fishery Policy

Abstract

In the 1980’s, Taiwanese small-scale tuna longliners lost their traditional fishing grounds owing to the implementation of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), and they also encountered worsening operation problems due to insufficient fishing laborers and fishery resource shortage. Along with the gradual expansion of Taiwanese small-scale tuna longliners to fishing grounds abroad, the operation problems not only improved, but the production and export quantity of fresh tuna in Indonesia also has been greatly affected and increased consequently. This article tries to explore those affecting factors during the period when Taiwanese small-scale tuna longliners enlarged the fishing grounds overseas into Indonesian waters as well as the operation strategy used by them. The article also analyzes the characteristics for the Indonesian government to develop the tuna fishing industry in different periods and the policy change in terms of the tuna fishery; the methods that Taiwanese small-scale tuna longliners adopted in terms of systems for fishing access fees; vessel charter agreement and joint venture; and, the operation strategy used to comply with policy modification in Indonesia.