On April 26, 2021, the Maritime and Port Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications issued a notice regarding the “Changhua Wind Farm Channel” and its navigation guidelines, which officially came into effect on October 26 of the same year. The navigation guidelines require fishing vessels to “pass through the east and west buffer zones and the nearshore navigation area off the coast of Changhua” and “not to engage in fishing activities in the north-south lanes and separation zones of the Changhua Wind Farm Channel.” It also stipulates that “all vessels crossing the Changhua Wind Farm Channel must report to the Offshore Wind Farm Channel Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) of the Changhua Maritime and Port Bureau,” and violators will be subject to a fine of NT$100,000 to NT$500,000.
In the past, apart from the direct shipping lanes between Taiwan and the Mainland authorized by the “Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area,” the government has not regulated vessels navigating in the western waters. The establishment of the Changhua Wind Farm Channel and the strict regulations on fishing bans, navigation bans, and reporting are unprecedented in Taiwan. As shown in the map of the Changhua Wind Farm Channel below, wind farms have been established in both the outer and inner waters of Changhua. The navigation guidelines further prohibit navigation and fishing in the north-south lanes and separation zones of the channel, leaving only the east and west buffer zones for passage, significantly restricting the operating range of near-shore fishermen. It is questionable whether the Maritime and Port Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, when establishing channels according to Article 8 of the Navigation Route Marking Act, also has the right to impose restrictions on navigation bans, fishing bans, and mandatory reporting within the channels.

The Maritime and Port Bureau stated that this measure was intended to maintain navigational safety in the waters off Changhua Wind Farm and provide a safe operating environment for the offshore wind power industry. The regulation applies to shipping companies, offshore wind power and marine engineering operators, and fishermen. However, according to statistics from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, only 1-3 vessels pass through the waters off Changhua on average per hour, and the channel is 9 nautical miles wide (approximately 16.67 kilometers), posing no navigational safety concerns. On the contrary, the newly added mandatory reporting requirement forces vessels to concentrate at the reporting point, increasing the risk of collisions. Furthermore, although the Maritime and Port Bureau claims to have communicated with fishermen, meetings held by local fishermen’s associations have made no mention of fishing bans, navigation restrictions, or reporting regulations, causing strong dissatisfaction among fishermen.
In light of the above disputes, fishermen in the Changhua wind farm waterway filed appeals and lawsuits seeking redress, using the navigation guidelines of the waterway as the subject of their claims.