Ecology and environmental conservation organizations yesterday urged the government to draw up measures within two weeks on ways to save the nation's Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins.
The dolphins are also known as "Matsu fish" (媽祖魚) because they generally appear along the west coast around the March birthday of the sea goddess. Easily recognizable by their light pink color, they like to gather close to the seashores and bayous in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.
Staging a skit in front of the Executive Yuan yesterday, members of the Matsu Fish Protection Alliance urged the government to speed up efforts to save the humpbacked dolphins, of which there are fewer than 200 left near Taiwan, the group said.
Their habitat is gradually being destroyed by several government-approved development projects along the west coast, Ecology Academy General Secretary Chen Bing-heng (陳秉亨) said yesterday.
Chen said conservation experts from countries such as Canada, Japan and the US passed a resolution in an international conservation seminar in Taiwan in September establishing a consultancy group that offers assistance on Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins conservation.
Chen said that Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist at the Humane Society, announced in Washington on Tuesday the establishment of the Taiwan Sousa Working Group to support the cause.
Peter Ross, a marine mammal toxicologist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Institute of Ocean Sciences, is the chairman of the group's advisory team, Chen said.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security