PENGHU SEA URCHIN HARVESTING SEASON OPENS UNTIL END OF AUGUST|澎湖馬糞海膽 開放採捕至8月底

The Penghu sea urchin harvesting ban was temporarily lifted from June 16 to the end of August, while catches must be larger than eight centimeters in diameter. However, three violations have been found so far, as the fishermen either began catching ahead of the hunting period or they caught juvenile sea urchins. Violators face a fine up to NT$150,000 and three years in prison Penghu Environmental Reconnaissance Task Force intercepted a fishing boat and found 556 sea urchins with total weight of 114.5 kilograms. This was on June 15, one day ahead of the legal harvesting period announced by Penghu County Government. ==LIN HONG-CHENG Dep Dir-Gen. of Agriculture and Fisheries, Penghu County Government== Here in Penghu we recently caught Fisherman Chen and his accomplice illegally harvesting more than 500 sea urchins, retail price is about NT$40,000. In addition, the Coast Guard 7th General Brigade found one civilian illegally harvesting 51 kilograms of sea urchin; another case involved over a thousand sea urchins abandoned on Chikan beach. The number of sea urchins confiscated from these three cases was over 1,600, and they were sent to the marine life propagation station. Last year the population of sea urchins was drastically reduced, therefore Penghu County Government decided to shorten the harvesting period from four months to two-and-half months, the legal harvesting period is from June 16 to the end of August. ==TOURIST== This is my first time tasting Penghu's sea urchin, it is rich and very fresh; and sweet. ==FOOD STALL OWNER== For those who don't eat raw food, will think it smells fishy. After roasting, there is no fishy smell. Penghu Agriculture and Fisheries urges fishermen to sustain marine ecological resources, and not harvest sea urchins smaller than eight centimeters during the legal harvesting period or they will face imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of NT$150,000. TRANSLATED BY: ANTHONY LIN 今年，澎湖的「海膽」開放採收日，是從6月16號開始，直到8月底，可以開放漁民，採捕8公分以上海膽。不過現在，卻有漁民提前偷跑，在開放前夕，就破獲三起盜採案件，總計1千600多顆、335公斤的海膽，將全數，送往種苗繁殖場保管。農漁局表示，違反規定將依漁業法開罰，處三年以下「有期徒刑」，或併科、15萬元以下罰金。 一簍一簍的馬糞海膽，從漁船準備偷搬上岸，立刻被澎湖環保查察小組攔截，仔細清算共有556顆馬糞海膽、114.5公斤，查獲日期在6月15號，也就是澎湖縣政府明文公告，開放採收海膽的前一天。 ==澎湖縣政府農漁局副局長 林宏城== 在我們澎湖山水 有查獲陳姓漁民兩個人 他們違法採捕500多顆的海膽 市價大約四萬塊 岸巡七總隊同步查獲兩起違法盜採案，一名民眾違法採捕51公斤，另外，在赤崁淺灘巡查到被人棄置的上千顆馬糞海膽，三起盜採案1600多顆海膽，由農漁局全數沒收，送往種苗場保管。 由於去年馬糞海膽產量銳減，澎湖縣政府參考各界意見，決定將今年採捕期延後一個月，期間由4個月縮短為2個半月，公告6/16到8月底為合法期間。 ==遊客== 第一次吃到澎湖的海膽 然後覺得肉很肥 很新鮮 沒有腥味 覺得口感甜甜的 ==業者== 不敢生吃的人會覺得很腥 烤完之後就不會有腥味 農漁局再度呼籲漁民，延續海洋生物資源，合法採捕期間，並非大小都能採收，禁捕小於8公分以下海膽，否則同樣觸法，可依漁業法可處3年以下徒刑，或是罰款15萬元以下。 記者 澎湖 綜合報導