The abnormal cold spell of the past several weeks has had such a devastating impact on the fishery industry in the Penghu island chain that it could take years for the industry to fully recover.
The subtropical Penghu island group, also known as the Pescadores, is located about 50km west of Taiwan proper. The archipelago consists of 90 islands, only 19 of which are inhabited. The area is rich in fishery resources and has been termed a "paradise for scuba divers."
The recent cold weather, with temperatures dipping to below 9oC, has caused massive damage to both the marine ecology in Penghu's coastal waters and the local net cage fish farming industry.
PHOTO: LIU YU-CHING, TAIPEI TIMES
During a beach cleaning campaign led by Penghu County Commissioner Wang Chien-fa (
Members of the Penghu Scuba Diving Association who examined the coastal waters around Makung Island (
Association president Cheng Cheng-kang (
Cheng said he was worried that as the temperature begins to rise, the high nutrient levels in the water could cause algal blooms, which could lead to a red tide, with toxins from the algae contaminating marine life and posing a hazard to human health.
Tsai Wann-sheng (
With the risk for a red tide a real one, Tsai urged Environmental Protection Bureau officials to closely monitor the quality of seawater around Penghu's coasts and to take necessary precautionary measures to prevent algal blooms.
Chen Ying-nan (陳英男), chairman of the Department of Aquaculture at National Penghu University, said the adverse impact on Penghu's marine ecology would be felt for the next couple of years, although the exact magnitude of the catastrophe had yet to be assessed.
"We expect ... the ocean to use the power of nature to repair itself," he said.
Meanwhile, statistics compiled by the Penghu County Government showed that the cold spell had killed more than 1,500 tonnes, or over 80 percent, of the fish yields in the county's net cage fish farms, with losses totaling more than NT$180 million (US$5.75 million). Cobia, a high-value cage culture species, was the most affected.
If shellfish are included, the total damage is estimated to exceed 3,000 tonnes.
Cheng Ming-yuan (
Another NT$167 million would be needed to provide natural disaster relief and low-interest emergency loans to fish farmers in order to help them get back on their feet, he said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS