Department of Environmental Biology and Fisheries Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, 2 Pei-Ning Road, Keelung 20224, Taiwan.
J Fish Biol. 2012 Apr;80(5):1595-607. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03234.x. Epub 2012 Mar 20.
The Taiwanese government introduced a catch-and-report system for the whale shark Rhincodon typus in 2001, and in the following year limited the total allowable catch (TAC) to 80 individuals. This limit was reduced over the following years, reaching a low of 30 individuals in 2007. In November 2007, a comprehensive ban on R. typus fishing came into effect and protection measures were adopted for the species. This study measured and recorded the total length (L(T) ), body mass and sex of 810 R. typus, using fisheries and other released data for the period 1995-2008. The mean L(T) of individuals caught from June to October was smaller than that for individuals caught from November to May. Mean annual catches in set nets were higher in south-western Taiwan than in other regions of Taiwan. The sex ratio showed that males were caught more frequently than females in Taiwanese waters, indicating sex segregation. For the first time, the stock structure, conservation and management regulation of R. typus in the north-west Pacific Ocean have been reviewed. The results provide a useful resource for future assessment of the possible development of R. typus ecotourism in Taiwan.
台湾政府于 2001 年引入了鲸鲨（Rhincodon typus）的捕捞和报告制度，并在次年将总允许捕捞量（TAC）限制为 80 头。此后，这个限制逐年减少，2007 年达到了 30 头的最低水平。2007 年 11 月，全面禁止捕捞鲸鲨生效，并为该物种采取了保护措施。本研究使用渔业和其他 1995-2008 年期间的释放数据，测量和记录了 810 头鲸鲨的总长度（L(T) ）、体重和性别。6 月至 10 月捕捞的个体的平均 L(T) 小于 11 月至 5 月捕捞的个体。西南台湾的定置网年均捕捞量高于台湾其他地区。性比例表明，在台湾水域，雄性比雌性更频繁被捕捞，表明存在性别分离。这是首次对西北太平洋地区的鲸鲨种群结构、保护和管理法规进行了审查。研究结果为未来评估台湾鲸鲨生态旅游的发展潜力提供了有用的资源。
