Legalities of beachcombing

Legal General Legal Matters
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In a recent discussion here on Forumosa, I read @Satellite_TV 's comment about it being illegal to collect on beaches. I am pretty sure that he was referring specifically to collecting driftwood in this case, but I was wondering in relation to collecting other things as well.

What is the law concerning collecting rocks, sea-glass, etc. from the beaches in Taiwan? I know certain beaches are prohibited (the famous Baxiandong in Taitung with the volcanic rocks I know about).

This may seem unimportant to most, but my wife is an artist who makes her art using rocks, pebbles, sea-glass, and driftwood that she mostly collects from beaches. It is very important to her to be able to continue to do her art, and if she can’t, it may be a factor motivating us to not stay in Taiwan.

On a side note, if these things are not allowed for the general population, is it possible to get a special permit for collection in small amounts for her art?

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And maybe the driftwood law has changed as well:

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I think it is illegal to remove shells, corals and even stones.

Hualien Tourism Department official Chen Yung-nan (陳勇男) said the behavior of taking stones from the beach is punishable by a fine of between NT$5,000 (US$180) and NT$1 million based on the Act for the Development of Tourism.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/wildlife-watch-seashells-illegal-trade-handicrafts

You could ask the groups that do the beach cleanup. They should know what is not allowed to be removed from the beaches.

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The chinglish version of the updated law:

News - Historical News - Forestry News - Principle Permitting Exceptions Driftwood Picking Rules Relaxed

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I am pretty sure that only pertains to those specific beaches, where it explicitly states to not to take any rocks. That beach in particular has signs posted, and has very unique volcanic rocks, so it makes sense.

My inquiry is in relation to basic rocks, pebbles, etc. at regular beaches.

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Thanks. That is very helpful and gives clarification on the driftwood side of things.

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I took a nice marble stone off the beach on Hualien, had it buffed up nice in Taipei by a one-armed man and it sits on a shelf in NY. The one I wanted to bring was the size of a brain, all white marble. I settled. I doubt anyone cares unless you’re backing up a truck.

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Ah, so you’re the miscreant who forced them to put all those warnings up. :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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That is my experience.

My wife’s sisters do this but they have a keen eye of what might be considered a rare rock/small boulder and they even have sold them on occasion for a decent amount. But I’m like you. I see something all white and think it’s cool. I have no idea how to spot stones that might be beautiful inside.

Also, @Noel , at least in Hualien, the riverbeds and banks are all stone and your wife could possibly find nice things for her artwork there. It’s a very different geography than what you find in North America.

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Yes I personally am responsible for all those baskets. :roll_eyes:

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I don’t understand the reason for not allowing individuals to pick up a few stones here and there. If it’s for some kind of large-scale business operation, OK, we don’t want that, but pebbles, really? Driftwood, glass, shells, volcanic rock, should all be fair game for individual collectors.

What are the authorities worried about, running out of pebbles?

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The mafia controlled cabal that runs the pebble sidewalks in the park for old ladies to massage their feets must be more politically powerful than I thought.

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Well, the article does say:

It’s not hard to imagine that large numbers of such tour groups, coming in with a free-for-all, “grab all you can!” mentality, might lead to beaches getting trashed.

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Not a very convincing argument for a general ban. If those tour groups ever come back, they will only hit a select few beaches anyway. They spend like half an hour at a beach, how many stones will they take away? The weight of stones alone is preventing them from taking away too many. In any case, a ban in certain areas for certain objects and amounts should be sufficient.

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How about a local artist selling them at the airport? Not painted or anything, just rocks, from the beach.

Hi-larious.

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Not about Taiwan, but on Boracay they are afraid running out of white sand. People took too much of it.

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Browsing through local news about illigal stone picking on beaches, it seems that the stones known as nantianshi 南田石, very common along the coast of southern Taitung (Daren Township), are especially off-limits. I actually brought one home not long ago, not knowing that it is illegal [shall I sent it back?]. Just a simple gray stone with one white line through it. I think the reasoning is that those stones add to the scenic beauty of the coast and hence are a valuable asset (to tourism).

I don’t know, there are gazillion stones along the eastern coast. It would take gazillion years to remove them all, so I vote for allowing indivuals, including artists, taking them home as they like. Problem is, there will always be people trying to turn it into a profitable business. And instead of dealing with these people, the government just bans everyone from having fun.

I think searching for things on the beach is a superb outdoor activity, especially for kids, and should be encouraged, it’s educational and much better than trying to catch Pokemons or whatever they do on the phone these days.

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After talking to a fair amount of people, both here and on Facebook, I needed clarification in relation to collecting on the beach. It is very important for my wife to be able to do her art here in Taiwan. So I went down to the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency to talk with someone.

Somehow I ended up speaking with the section chief of the Forestry division. He said driftwood (in small sizes) and sea-glass (which is considered garbage) are totally fine.

He basically said that the collection of a small amount of rocks or pebbles from beach is not an issue unless: 1) it is prohibited at that location (by signs, etc.), 2) in a National park, or 3) it is not for personal/household use (ie. or sale in any form).

He said to refer to this act for details:

https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=J0020025

He further explained that if someone wanted to make (and sell) art using the pebbles that they collected, then it would be best to collect with a permit. He said that as long as you aren’t collecting large amounts, permits are easily obtained by applying to the relevant regional office of the location involved.

He gave us his card and off we went. Great! Problem solved, right? Well, no…

On the way home, I read the above act in more depth. Apparently it is worded that only Citizens of the Republic of China can obtain these permits. This is not good, and makes it difficult for my wife to make and sell her art in any capacity in Taiwan if this is the case.

I was thinking that maybe if we set up a company with a co-owner who is Taiwanese that could apply for these permits? However, this seems like a lot of work for a small company that is mostly a hobby side business.

I am going to email the section chief to see if he can clarify if it is possible for non-Taiwanese to get a permit, but I really doubt it. It likely didn’t at all occur to him to think like that.

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Maybe you can import the raw materials?

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She could order rocks from outside of Taiwan; she actually brought some rocks with us when we came here. It does add an additional expense to a business that doesnt really have that high a profit margin.

It misses two things though: a big part of her enjoyment is the act of collecting things from the beach, it is her “zen place”, and I think that she is worried if she was challenged how she would prove the rocks are not from Taiwan.

It is a possible alternative though.