ABSTRACT An investigative study of Taiwan¡¦s temporary placement policy, management approaches and strategies concerning fishery workers imported from Mainland China From the perspectives of ¡¥economic repercussion,¡¦ ¡¥social impact,¡¦ ¡¥regulation¡¦ and ¡¥¡¦managerial strategy¡¦, this research seeks to derive, not only from the discussion of the necessity of employing mainland workers in Taiwan¡¦s fishing industry but also the examination of policy concerning the temporary placement of Mainland workers while working onboard Taiwanese fishing vessels, the core issues and bottlenecks facing Taiwan¡¦s imports of fishery workers from Mainland and the discrepancies between what we intend to and what we¡¦ve been able to achieve through the implementation of such policy. Researches have shown that by importing fishery workers from Mainland, Taiwan has indeed been able to temporarily alleviate the various problems caused by the labor shortage in its fishing industry. What¡¦s more, it has long become a regular practice for the Taiwanese government to formulate its policy concerning fishery workers¡¦ management and their temporary placement through the usual process of policy-making, after having taken Taiwan¡¦s national security into consideration. Similarly, the fishing-boat operators have been determining their own course of action regarding the placement and management of their employees. Their eventual decisions are more often than not based on what they perceive is the most cost-effective and also their personal preference and past experience in dealing with Mainland workers. However, several issues have been brought to surface by the researchers after they revealed evidence obtained from the study of historical facts, policy analysis and field interview. These issues include but are not limited to the following: one, the over-reliance of the Taiwanese fishing industry on the Mainland workers; two, the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the managing policy regarding the Mainland workers; and three, the lack of descent living conditions and the inadequate basic human rights granted to the Mainland workers. Several other issues have also been brought to attention after further analysis. Fishing boat operators and those involved with the Taiwan Provincial Fishery Association have expressed their concerns over the development and transformation of Taiwan¡¦s fishing industry. Most believe that problems such as the lack of governmental guidance, the strict application of fishing policy, the precarious fishing boat operating environment and the difficulty of transforming Taiwanese fishing industry will only be exacerbated by a ban on imports of fishery workers from Mainland. Such concerns only further confirm the fact that Chinese workers are vital not only to Taiwan¡¦s traditional fishing industry but also to the recreational fishing business. This research ends with the conclusion that mainland Chinese fishery workers are the major labor force needed for the development of Taiwan¡¦s fishing industry. The delicate political state between Taiwan and the Mainland however, has given rise to the many problems we see today in the employment process and placement management concerning Mainland fishery workers. Analysts have argued that the Taiwanese authority should pragmatically bring up such issues into discussion with its Mainland counterparts under the guideline of ¡¥general business affairs¡¦ in order to effectively resolve employment issues and to open up channels for more constructive dialogues. Furthermore, having taken into consideration matters such as national security and economic development, the authorities concerned need to improve the policy and guidelines under which temporary placement management is carried out and the protection of human rights is guaranteed in order to maximize the development of Taiwan¡¦s fishing industry and to broaden safety provisions for everyone involved.