Where have all the fish gone?

[currier]

A friend sent me this earlier this evening ...

Thought it might be of some relevance since members have been asking about the quality of diving in Taiwan. Don't get me wrong - I thoroughly enjoy our local diving. The best viz. I've seen anywhere has been here. But let's face it ...

CommonWealth Magazine

 

[Makhno]

"The problem, explains Kwang-tsao Shao, the executive director of Academia Sinica's Biodiversity Research Center, is that 'Taiwan's coasts were destroyed a long time ago' by overfishing, habitat destruction, and environmental pollution."

"Siao Liouciou Fishermen's Association manager Tsai Pao-hsing, blames it on the lack of conservation of fish stocks, with porous and inadequate management the main culprit."

It's fairly obvious what the problems are; the question is how to generate the requisite political will to push for solutions.

I have become much more interested in reef invertebrates since I moved to Taiwan, simply because there are so few fishes to see while diving. But at the rate the Kending reefs are deteriorating, perhaps before too long there won't be much to see other than various species of algae.

 

[lionfish-eater]

This explains why the chinese are traveling around the pacific with giant reef harvesting equipment and taking whole reef systems back to china. A recent article on ocean news web site explained that they have a flotilla of mining ships that travel through the out islands and actually take the whole reef. Some speculate for the minerals, others claim that they are trying to replace their dying reefs with pilfered ones.

 

[currier]

I have become much more interested in reef invertebrates since I moved to Taiwan, simply because there are so few fishes to see while diving.

As are so many of the photographers at our sites.
Looking this season for my first harlequin shrimp ... rumor has it there are some out NE way ...

 

[Wantonmien]

Lionfish-eater - didn't hear of the Chinese stealing reefs story - (have you got a net link to it ?), but in Taiwan it is more a case of extensive overfishing over the years, and even when netting is banned and areas are protected in national parks, little seems to be done by the law to adhere to the bans.

Currier - Couldn't find you a harlequin, fraid best I could find last Tuesday at Longdong was a banded boxer shrimp -- Can't miss him, swim out past Beitou harbour wall, look on the right for the lonely Chocolate grouper about 15m depth and hey presto you can find some banded boxers .. (but not a lot else !), oh except at another site we found 10 lobsters huddled together having a group meeting. Have you dived over at Yilan wall ? - it was thick with fish there last year, though I've not dived it this year, yet.

 

[currier]

^^ Those are some fine directions, Wantonmien!

Currently tracking a lead toward Harlequins
http://hibiscusatoll.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/summer-is-leaving/
In all honesty, the rest of the blog ain't a bad read ...

Haven't been out Yilan way yet, but intend to explore the area a bit this season. I have yet to contact the Capt. through the number you provided, but now that the water is warming up, and the waves are settling down, I'll put some effort into it, ask the necessary questions, and try to get a small group out to Turtle Mt. Island.