Liuqiu diving crisis: Illegal fishing boats approach spots, prompting zoning adjustments

A scuba‑diving safety incident occurred in the waters around Xiao Liuqiu on May 14. A diving instructor led students at the island’s well‑known free‑diving trial site, setting a surface dive flag to warn of activity. Despite the flag, a fishing vessel continued to approach the dive site, ignoring the warning. The narrowing gap between the divers and the boat increased the risk. At the time of the incident, the divers had completed basic underwater training and were preparing to return to shore; the sudden advance of the fishing vessel forced them to change course to avoid collision.

Xiao Liuqiu, an outlying island of Pingtung County, is prized for its coral reefs and marine ecology, attracting large numbers of divers each year. The island hosts both a fishing community and a commercial tourism‑diving industry, and the two groups often clash over water‑use. Local maritime regulations designate certain zones as dive hotspots, requiring dive flags and warning signs and restricting non‑diving vessels from entering. In practice, fishing vessels frequently rely on traditional routes and do not respond adequately to dive flags, creating similar safety concerns.

In response, the Peng Management Office—Xiao Liuqiu’s maritime management unit—immediately reported the incident to the Department of Fisheries and requested that fishermen be advised to avoid entering dive hotspots. The Peng Management Office said it would enhance maritime patrols, install more conspicuous warning signs on major fishing routes, and promote a communication mechanism between fishermen and divers to prevent future incidents. The Department of Fisheries pledged to review fishing‑vessel navigation rules and develop more detailed marine‑use guidelines in the near future.

The incident underscores the challenges of balancing tourism diving and traditional fishing in Xiao Liuqiu’s waters. Without adjustments, the risk of collisions between divers and fishing vessels will persist, potentially damaging the island’s reputation for diving safety and its tourism prospects. In the long term, establishing a comprehensive marine‑use zoning system, implementing synchronized navigation rules for fishing and diving vessels, and strengthening educational interactions between fishermen and divers will be key to ensuring maritime safety and environmental protection. Only through joint effort from government, fisheries, and tourism stakeholders can Xiao Liuqiu preserve its marine biodiversity while safeguarding all maritime activities for sustainable development.

Source: Central News Agency.