Dying coral is threatening the existence of Taiwan-owned islands in the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) discovered recently
The north coast of Taiping Island, a little more than 1,100km southwest of Kaohsiung, is gradually sinking into the sea, with some man-made structures already submerged, the CGA found.
The CGA said the island's shrinkage was the result of the widespread dying off of coral in the waters surrounding it, perhaps because of the rise in sea temperatures brought on by the El Nino weather phenomenon.
Taiping, which is itself made of coral reefs, is the main island of the Spratleys.
The findings were made during CGA's most recent large-scale patrol to two Taiwan-held islands in the South China Sea, Tungsha and Taiping islands.
The 10-day patrol in April was led by CGA Deputy Director Yu Chien-tzu (
Jeng Ming-shiou (
"Coral in waters surrounding Tungsha island is almost dead," Jeng said. "It has denied the island any chance to be developed as a diving spot. What is the point of travelling hundreds of kilometers to the island to see dead coral?"
Jeng urged the government to start treating the coral reefs of Taiping island to save it from disintegration.
"Malaysia and Vietnam have already treated some of their coral reefs in the Spratly Islands. Isn't it time for us to take action too?" Jeng said.
The development of Taiping Island should involve the cultivation and protection of marine resources, Jeng said.
The CGA, which administrates the island with about 100 personnel, can do little to treat the corals because it lacks equipment, experience and clear instructions from the government, the administration said.
But over the past two years, since taking over management of Taiping and Tungsha islands from the Marine Corps, the CGA has been defending the islands from foreign fishing boats, mainly from China, which illegally fish around the islands, often with explosives and chemicals.
"Because of the CGA's law enforcement efforts, the underwater eco-system around the two islands has improved a lot," Jeng said.
"Some species of fish that were thought to have been driven from the area because of illegal fishing practices, have returned to the waters."
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