These Regulations are established pursuant to Article 37, paragraph 1 and 3; subparagraph (9) of Article 44, paragraph 1; and subparagraph (5) of Article 54 of the Fisheries Act (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”).

To conduct Pacific bluefin tuna fishing operation in the area of the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (hereinafter referred to as “WCPFC Convention Area”, as shown in Appendix 1), the provisions of these Regulations shall be complied with.
To conduct fishing operation in the WCPFC Convention Area excluding the internal waters, territorial seas, and exclusive economic zone of the Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as “waters under the jurisdiction of the Republic of China”), the Act for Distant Water Fisheries and its related regulations shall also be complied with.

• Appendix 1 Area of the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.pdf

The annual total catch quota (unprocessed round weight, hereinafter the same when referring to “quota” in the following provisions) of Pacific bluefin tuna for longline fishing vessels shall be limited to 1,679 metric tons; for fishing vessels of directed fisheries except for the longline fishing vessels (hereinafter referred to as “fishing vessels of the other directed fisheries”) and the set net fishery shall be limited to 30 metric tons.
The competent authority may, depending on the utilization of quota, proclaim the adjustment of the annual total catch quota of the longline fishing vessels, and fishing vessels of the other directed fisheries and set net fishery as referred to in the preceding paragraph.

In the event that the accumulated catch amount of Pacific bluefin tuna by longline fishing vessels reaches 1,550 metric tons in one year, or the accumulated catch amount of Pacific tuna by fishing vessels of the other directed fisheries and the set net fishery reaches 20 metric tons in one year, the competent authority may proclaim the deadline by which the catching of Pacific bluefin tuna shall stop.

Catching, retaining, transshipping, landing or selling any Pacific bluefin tuna less than 30 kilograms shall be prohibited.

Fishing vessels shall not catch Pacific bluefin tuna with longline fishing gears without the authorization from the central competent authority.