(FIP)

使命及任務

Why promote FIP?

In 2013, Mr. Tsai Fu-jung, the general manager of the Xingang District Fisheries Association, discovered that 90% of the mahi-mahi from Taiwan were sold to the United States, but the price of mahi-mahi was less than 60 yuan per kilogram. He found a trader surnamed Chien in Taipei through a distributor. After a detailed discussion and research, the two discovered that mahi-mahi had been blacklisted by the US FDA because it did not have an eco-label.

Mr. Tsai Fu-jung proactively approached the Fisheries Agency and proposed the idea of ​​a mahi-mahi fishery improvement project. With the support and guidance of the Fisheries Agency, the project was initiated in 2014 by the Hsinkang District Fishermen's Association. The association convened fishermen, academics, and supply chain operators and entrusted the Association for International Fisheries Cooperation and Development of the Republic of China Foundation to begin planning and implementing the "Mahi-mahi Fishery Improvement Project." Two briefing sessions were held in 2015, and the project was subsequently approved for inclusion on the international SFP (Sustainable Fisheries Partnership) website.

Subsequently, in 2017, the Su'ao District Fishermen's Association and the Donggang District Fishermen's Association joined the working group to participate in the improvement of mahi-mahi fisheries, expanding the scale of the project. Simultaneously, the project was officially registered on the US-based Fishery Progress (FP) international sustainable fisheries tracking website to enhance the transparency of fisheries management, enabling Taiwanese mahi-mahi to be accepted by the mainstream US market and gradually improve its rating, demonstrating concrete progress in management and ecological protection.

With increasing international emphasis on environmental and marine sustainability, consumers are increasingly concerned about whether seafood is produced in an eco-friendly manner, making the ecolabeling system an important tool for promoting sustainable fisheries. Such certification standards and fees are high, making them unaffordable or unqualified for all fishing industries. To encourage more fishing businesses to move towards sustainable operations, the "Fishery Improvement Program (FIP)" has emerged internationally. FIP is driven by the private sector, follows MSC standards, and involves stakeholders such as fishermen, industry chains, non-governmental organizations, and regulatory authorities to gradually improve fishery management and operations, aiming to meet international sustainability standards. FIP is not a certificate itself, but rather a "process of achieving sustainability standards."

[Fishing Industry Profile] Tsai Fu-jung, the FIP promoter of the Hsinkang mackerel.

Overcoming difficulties, with everyone united

In order to safeguard the sustainable development of mahi-mahi resources, the Fisheries Agency, in conjunction with Professor Wang Sheng-ping of National Taiwan Ocean University, provided fisheries science research and formulated the "Measures for the Control of Mahi-mahi Catch - Prohibition of Catching Mahi-mahi with a Body Length of Less Than 50 cm", which officially came into effect on September 1, 2024.

A hundred ships united, advancing together sustainably.

Mahi-mahikari fishing is characterized by its seasonality, multiple fleets, and multiple ports. Only through long-term improvement and data accumulation can international sustainability standards be maintained.

Data transparency and traceability

Continuing to promote fisheries improvement programs will help accumulate fisheries and marine science data and strengthen international trust in Taiwan.

FIP fishing vessels participated

Self-management Convention

Fishing log download