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Preserving Penghu's natural beauty

Nearly 3,000 tonnes of fish recently froze to death in Penghu. Some have attributed this natural disaster to the impact of drastic changes in the global climate -- ?an issue that deserves our long-term attention. However, one is tempted to ask why, under the same climatic conditions, the cobia fish farms in Little Liouciou (小琉球), Pingtung County, were unaffected? I believe the Penghu disaster was a result of both natural and manmade factors.

Natural factors include the shallow depth of Penghu's inland waters, so that a "basin effect" occurs when temperatures drop suddenly, affecting water temperatures and killing masses of fish. Manmade factors include the intricate network of bridges between the many islands in Penghu County, most of which have an overly low flow cross-section. Add in difficulties from changes in tidal and current flow and maintaining normal seawater temperatures for fish habitation becomes problematic. In comparison, Little Liouciou does not have to deal with problems relating to ocean depths or tidal changes, so fish stocks in this area are able to survive in winter.

As such, Penghu needs to delve into the research on the environment of its inland waters, enforce water temperature monitoring, build an aquatic livestock farming alarm system, facilitate flow in tidal channels and consider an overall restructuring of the flow cross-section for bridges. These measures will help it cope with tidal changes and damage from sudden temperature drops in inland sea areas with shallow water and slow currents.

For the moment, the government should prioritize providing relief to Penghu fishermen and preventing contamination from decaying fish. For the long term, we hope the government can allocate a budget to cover research on nurturing resources, climate change, warning systems, reducing the number of manmade structures and other factors that affect the fishing industry. Aside from promoting a plan for the sustainable development of Penghu's waters, marine conservation should also be strengthened and incorporated into the education system.

Penghu County is made up of 90 islands of varying sizes, of which less than 20 are inhabited. However, the county has almost 70 fishing harbors, with each village having two or three harbors. There are also numerous embankments or armor units along the shore. Some of these manmade structures may have historical significance, but most of them have lost their usefulness over time.

For example, the seawall at Chinglo (青螺), built on a vast reef plate, is not a useful defense system and only blocks the scenery. Chima Bay (緝馬灣) used to be a good place for locals to watch the sunset, with only a few sampans which can be quickly dragged ashore in inclement weather. However, its beautiful half-moon shaped bay now has a huge and awkward port. Hsienchiao islet (險礁), likewise, has a port, which is rarely used but has affected the shape of the beach.

There's also Pengpeng beach (澎澎灘), whose formation and sand encroachment is probably related to the sand drifts caused by surrounding manmade structures. Obstruction from these structures affects current flow in inland water, resulting not only in massive losses of fish stocks but also damage to the sea bed environment for fish farming. The negative impact of these various manmade structures are contributing to the decline of Penghu's natural beauty. Penghu is no longer suitable for manmade construction. Projects such as those planned on Chipei Islet (吉貝) or Shanshui (山水) should be carefully reconsidered.

The Penghu National Scenic Area Administration has proposed building large, low-priced hotels on Cimei Island (七美島), overlooking the fact that the island's charm comes from its quiet isolation that is suitable to honeymooners or small tour groups, as well as the fact that the the island has already reached its development capacity.

The county government and certain developers have also been plotting to sell some of the uninhabited islands to improve the county's finances. The administration went so far as posting online notices, preparing to sell the islands for less than NT$121 per square meter. These actions make one wonder if the local government lacks understanding of the value of these islands and the surrounding waters, as well as their development limitations. The island forum held two years ago by the county government does not seem to have fulfilled its role as a "think tank" to help the administration.

The demise of Penghu's fish stock is probably only the tip of the iceberg. There is still a long way to go before Taiwan becomes a truly maritime nation. Penghu is an important maritime county that needs to take the first step and draft a complete marine development policy, thoughtfully reconsider marine environmental issues, reduce manmade structures and turn itself into a model for wisely using and preserving natural marine resources.

Chiau Wen-yan is a professor and director of the Institute of Marine Resource Management at National Taiwan Ocean University.

Translated by Angela Hong
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