Taiwan's fishery output value declined by NT$5.2 billion from the previous year. The agriculture ministry has put forward a support scheme using AI to identify fishing grounds.

Several factors are cited together for the decline: shifting fish populations as sea temperatures change, fuel costs, and difficulty crewing vessels. No single cause accounts for it.

The ministry's approach combines satellite data with ocean observations to predict where fish are likely to gather, with the aim of reducing search time and fuel consumption for vessels.

Similar efforts have been attempted in Japan and Norway. Accuracy varies widely by sea area and species, and for fishermen to use it in practice the information has to arrive in a form usable at sea.

Fisheries make up a modest share of Taiwan's economy but remain important for coastal employment and food supply. A sustained fall in output value would translate into structural change in regional economies.

Seafood is also a trade item between Korea and Taiwan. Changes in output at source feed into import prices after a lag of several months, making them a cost factor for Chinese food merchants in Korea.