The conflict started in September 2015, when the crew of a Taiwanese fishing vessel were caught illegally shark finning in the South Pacific. The Taiwan Fisheries Agency fined the vessel NT$150,000 (US$4,578).

The EU, in accordance with its zero tolerance policy on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, gave Taiwan a "yellow card" in October 2015, warning that the country was in danger of being placed on the list of countries not cooperating against IUU.

In a press release, the European Commission stated that "the decision to issue a yellow card to Taiwan is based on serious shortcomings in the fisheries legal framework, a system of sanctions that does not deter IUU fishing, and lack of effective monitoring, control and surveillance of the long-distance fleet."

The commission gave Taiwan six months to fix these issues.

Now, with legislation that attempts to meet the EU's demands headed to the Legislative Yuan this month, Taiwan's fishing industry is speaking out in opposition.

Hsieh Wen-jung, president of the Taiwan Tuna Association, has accused the EU of double standard. According to Wen-jung, foreign organizations regulating the fishing industry "are dominated by white people who do not see any conservation problems with catching fish that are their favorites, like skipjack tuna and yellowfin tuna, but have a lot to say about the favorites of [Asian] people."

The president of the Taiwan Squid Fishery Association Lei Tzu-kang has accused the government of mimicking South Korea, which raised IUU fines up to US$460,000 in reaction to its own EU yellow card.

"The government should be able to communicate with foreign institutions and fight for the interests of Taiwan's fishing industry, instead of following the South Korean government," Lee said.

Lei implored Taiwan's government to take a stand for the fishing industry against the EU, saying, "show some backbone, please."