Canoes Occupy Hsiaoliuqiu Beach 屏東小琉球獨木舟占據沙灘 引民眾不滿

With the pandemic slowing down and the arrival of summer vacation,  many tourists have rushed to Pingtung's Liuqiu to enjoy the water. This has resulted in canoes and other water sporting equipments being piled up by operators at the beaches. The Pingtung County Government immediately sent officials to the scene to resolve the issue. 

Canoes and SUPs are stacked on top of each other and placed directly on the beach. The trucks that come to the beach are also full of water amusement equipment. After the epidemic eased, Pingtung's liuqiu welcomed many tourists. It has also caused complaints among local residents that the beach was so crowded there was no place for children to play with water or sand.

Mr. Tseng, Water Sports Operator, liuqiu: “Some are left for convenience of course, because it is very tiring to move them up and down the beach. So operators leave it there because they think there may be a lot of customers who will use them the next day. They wait until the following day after the group tour is over and then retrieve the equipment. ”

Summer vacation is the peak season for water activities. However, too many tourists and a small number of business operators are acting cheaply, which has aroused the dissatisfaction among local residents. They are also worried about the turtle spawning season from May to October, as the beach is occupied by water sports equipment and tourists, which may affect the turtles' spawning.

Chen Shih-yuan, Acting Director, Pingtung County Marine and Fisheries Management Office: “Operators are required to clear all items on the beach after 5 p.m. If they don't clear their equipment, we will fine them according to the Fishing Port Act between NT$30,000 to NT$150,000. ”

The Marine and Fisheries Management Office quickly sent officials to persuade operators and also asked them to clear their equipment. However, canoes and other equipment can still be seen on the roadside of the beach. The county government said that it will continue to enforce the law. It calls on the operators to stop occupying the beach and give the public a safe space to enjoy the water.

獨木舟、SUP層層疊著，直接擺在沙灘上，來到沙灘的貨車，車上也是滿滿的水上遊樂設施。疫情趨緩後，屏東小琉球迎來許多遊客，觀光業者很開心，但也引發當地民眾抱怨，沙灘被占滿，讓孩子連玩水或玩沙的地方都沒了。

小琉球水上活動業者曾先生表示：「有一些當然就是為了方便，就是說因為搬上來搬下去很累，對，所以他們就想說，隔天可能還有一大堆人要用到，所以就先放在那邊，等到隔天那一團結束之後，才會再把全部都收回來，這樣子。」

暑假是玩水旺季，搭著獨木舟或划SUP等在藍天大海下玩水，讓人心情開闊，但過多的遊客加上少部分業者的便宜行事，不只引發在地人不滿，也讓人擔心正值5至10月的海龜產卵季，沙灘被水上設備跟遊客佔據，會影響海龜產卵。

屏東縣海洋及漁業事務管理所代理所長陳仕元表示：「要求業者在（下午）5點過後，必須把所有的沙灘上的物品全部淨空，如果沒有清空者，我們將依《漁港法》來開罰3萬元以上到15萬元以下的罰鍰。」

海漁所獲報後，10日中午趕緊派人來勸導，也要求業者晚上之前務必清空，不過11日早上厚石沙灘路邊，還是有看到不少獨木舟等設備，縣府表示會持續執法，也呼籲業者不要再占用沙灘，還給民眾安全的戲水空間。