Construction work is set to start on three offshore wind farms off Changhua County, with construction vessels already on standby. However, raising more offshore wind turbines would have an ecological impact on various species, notably the critically endangered colony of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins of the Sousa chinensis taiwanesis subspecies, known as Taiwanese white dolphins or “Matsu fish.”
The government has failed to produce a proactive and feasible recovery plan for the dolphins.
We call on the government and construction companies to promptly propose and implement such a plan.
At least, they can offer gillnet fishers operating along the west coast rewards for suspending fishing while the wind turbines are being built. This would allow fishery resources to recover as well as give the dolphins a chance to survive.
Moreover, many aspects of the impact of wind turbines construction on the dolphins cannot be assessed within the existing environmental impact assessment system.
First, it is impossible to assess the cumulative disturbance caused by multiple wind farm constructions over a long period.
Second, if noise levels below those causing permanent damage to the dolphins’ hearing is taken as the standard in environmental impact assessments, it is not enough to protect this critically endangered species living in a very narrow habitat.
Third, the environmental pressure that has caused the dolphins to become critically endangered persists, and any additional environmental pressure might further imperil their survival.
Fourth, if the dolphins move away and gather in other waters to avoid the wind farms, it would increase the risk of dolphins being accidentally caught in fishing nets.
Seen from a scientific point of view, it is clear that the construction of offshore wind turbines is to affect the dolphins to some degree.
The question, then, is how to help this endangered colony of dolphins to survive this period of construction.
The number of humpback dolphins off Taiwan’s west coast is an indicator of growth or depletion of fishery resources. Protecting the dolphins means protecting those resources.
Civic groups have suggested that the government and developers join hands to offer rewards to the coastal fishing industry along the west coast to transition to a sustainable model of fishing in which ecological conservation can generate added value for near-shore fisheries.
However, there has been no sign of fishery policy departments taking any such measures.
There are only 50 to 60 Taiwanese white dolphins left. If construction of renewable energy resources causes this endangered subspecies to go extinct, it would hamper the government’s green energy policies, damage the reputation of international green energy developers and degrade Taiwan’s biodiversity.
The environmental pressure that endangers the dolphins cannot be eliminated overnight, but considering the funds at developers’ hands, as well as the government’s general budget and the stimulus budget drawn up in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, gillnet fishers should be offered rewards for suspending fishing activities.
The government should then require fishers not to place gillnets in near-shore waters while offshore wind turbines are being built. This might allow the Taiwanese white dolphins to survive and live to see the arrival of a medium-to-long-term recovery plan.
Chen Bing-heng is founding chairman of the Matsu Fish Conservation Union.
Translated by Julian Clegg
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
Deflation in China is persisting, raising growing concerns domestically and internationally. Beijing’s stimulus policies introduced in September last year have largely been short-lived in financial markets and negligible in the real economy. Recent data showing disproportionately low bank loan growth relative to the expansion of the money supply suggest the limited effectiveness of the measures. Many have urged the government to take more decisive action, particularly through fiscal expansion, to avoid a deep deflationary spiral akin to Japan’s experience in the early 1990s. While Beijing’s policy choices remain uncertain, questions abound about the possible endgame for the Chinese economy if no decisive
Actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) on March 13 posted an Instagram caption after the opening of Tiffany’s Taipei flagship store two days earlier that read: “Thank you Tiffany for inviting us to Taipei China.” We know that Yeoh knows Taipei is in Taiwan, not China, because the caption was posted following comments she made — in English — in which she said: “Thank you to Tiffany for bringing me to Taipei, because I do love this country very much.” Her remarks and the subsequent Instagram caption were reported in Taiwan, in Chinese and English- language media such as Radio Free Asia, and overseas,
China poses a dire threat to Taiwan’s semiconductor industry as it steps up efforts to poach Taiwan’s top chip talent, following the US’ implementation of stringent chip restrictions. Beijing is keen to develop its own semiconductor technologies, leveraging skilled engineers from Taiwan, Europe and other countries to circumvent US restrictions on providing China access to advanced US chips, particularly those used in artificial intelligence applications, as well as other chip technologies and manufacturing equipment. Taiwan has always contended with talent competition from China, but the situation is worsening. The Hsinchu District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday said that China’s ARK Semi and
RSS