annual catches have consistently fallen short of expectations. As a result,
many vessels only operate for six months and remain idle for the other six
months.
Meanwhile, squid-catching vessels depart Taiwan, transit through the
Strait of Malacca, and cross the Indian Ocean to reach the Falkland Islands.
The one-way transit time takes over a month. During the six-month
operation, more than two months are spent in transit, over two months in
fishing grounds, and about one month is spent docked in Taiwan for
offloading fish, restocking, and maintenance work.
Captain Chiu Chih-hsien broke down the daily schedule onboard.
There is not much work to do during transit—crew members spend a few
hours each day preparing fishing gear, and most of the remaining time is
spent resting. Once they reach the fishing grounds, work intensifies as
squid, being phototactic (attracted to light), must be fished at night. The
crew is divided into two shifts, one for day and one for night, rotating over
24 hours. The night shift has more crew members since squid are more
active at night, while the day shift is smaller due to fewer fish being caught.
Similarly, Pacific saury fishing operations occur at night, with nets
deployed and fish caught until dawn. After sunrise, the crew rests until the
afternoon.44
TSSFA board member Chang Yao-jen highlighted the challenges of
managing rest days. For instance, he noted that the ship's cook cannot
adhere to the regulation of four rest days per month while at sea. “So, when
the cook returns to port, I let him have his rest. However, the other crew
members will complain, saying, ‘Why does he get to rest at the dock while
we’re still out at sea? Is resting at sea even real rest? What am I supposed
to do on the open ocean? What’s the point of resting at sea?’” 45 This
disparity in rest schedules between the cook and other crew members often
NHRC (January 6, 2023). “Interview Record on the Chin Chuan Hsing Squid Fishing Vessel.”
NHRC (January 6, 2023). “Actions and Dialogues on Human Rights Issues of Migrant
Fishers: Stakeholder Forum,” Record of Kaohsiung Session.
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45
50