Chinese Taipei is the 20th top producer in the world. Historically, fisheries have played a significant role in the development of geographically disadvantaged regions in Chinese Taipei, as well as providing stability to society and food supply. Some 130 000 fishing households with a workforce of 340 000 fishers participate in the sector. In recent years, the production of fish has reached 1.5 million mt (metric tons), with a value of just under TWD 100 billion (around USD 3 billion). The aquaculture sector provides an additional 300 000 tons of fish valued at TWD 30 billion and its aquaculture technology, in particular, enjoys a worldwide reputation.

The Chinese Taipei fishing industry is highly diversified and comprised principally of two sectors: a large-scale deep sea commercial fishery targeting tuna and squid in international and foreign waters, and a community-based costal and offshore fishery harvesting a wide range of species within the Chinese Taipei EEZ. Deep sea fishing plays a dominant role in Chinese Taipei. The deep sea long-distance fleet, targeting tuna and squid, harvests around 800 000 tons per annum, representing 58% of overall activity measured by landings. The Central and Western Pacific are principal hunting grounds for tuna while squid jigging takes place mainly in the South Western Atlantic, Western and Eastern Pacific Oceans. Some 71 foreign ports serve as principle ports for these activities. To manage issues of overcapacity, flags of convenience (FOC) and IUU fishing by the deep sea tuna fleet, a two year vessel buyback/scrapping program (2005-06) has reduced the active tuna fleet from 614 units to 454. This has been coupled with a prohibition to export tuna vessels built in Chinese Taipei. Also, authorities are working on equipping all deep sea vessels with vessel monitoring systems (VMS).