Pingtung: The captain of a Taiwanese long-distance fishing vessel, identified by the surname Wu, has been formally indicted for directing Indonesian crew members to kill dolphins to use as bait for shark fishing last year, as reported by the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office on Tuesday. This indictment comes after a thorough investigation into the incident, which concluded on June 5, determining that Wu, along with seven foreign crew members, violated the Act on Wildlife Conservation by illegally capturing and killing protected wildlife.

According to Focus Taiwan, the formal charges against Wu were filed following the investigation, while the seven Indonesian fishermen involved were granted deferred prosecution. The incident took place in the northwestern Pacific Ocean in June 2024 when Wu allegedly instructed his hired crew to catch and slaughter two dolphins due to a shortage of bait. Despite the dolphins' classification as "second-grade" conserved, rare, and valuable wild animals by the Ocean Affairs Council, Wu reportedly ordered their capture using fishing equipment.

Prosecutors stated that the dolphins' meat was utilized as bait to catch sharks and tuna, with the leftover carcasses and skin discarded into the ocean. The illegal activity was documented and reported by Canadian authorities, who subsequently referred the case to Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture and the prosecutors.