The coral reefs north of Green Island (綠島), a popular vacation spot off the coast of Taitung where political prisoners were once held, are being threatened by sheets of black sponge that endanger marine life and the ecology around the volcanic island, an expert said on Wednesday.
Calling for immediate action to stem the spread of what he called the “black disease,” Allen Chen Chen (陳昭倫), an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Biodiversity Research Center, warned that the sponges were growing at a rate of about 50 percent a year.
The coral reefs off Kungkuan (公館), on the island’s northeast coast, are the most seriously affected, with 10.91 percent covered by the black sponge, Chen said in a recent study of the Green Island “black plague.”
PHOTO PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLEN CHEN
ORIGIN UNKNOWN
The study found that the black sponges were filled with blue-green algae unlike any other bacteria group seen in local waters, Chen said.
Their origin remained to be determined, he said.
“One thing is certain, however,” he said. “The most severe damage has occurred near the most densely populated areas of the island,” said Chen, who heads a research team that has been commissioned to investigate the matter.
Apart from Kungkuan, the coral reefs off Chaikou (柴口), in the northern part of the island, Shilang (石朗), in the west, and Tabaisha Bay (大百沙灣), in the southwest, have also been affected, Chen added.
Green Island is surrounded by one of Taiwan’s major coral habitats. Chen said he had recorded 168 stone coral strains, six strains of hydrocorals, one organ-pipe coral strain, one blue coral strain and 27 strains of soft corals in the area.
HUMAN THREAT
The diverse coral habitat, however, is under threat from intense human activity, as more than 300,000 tourists visit the island every year.
A significant volume of wastewater is pumped into the sea, Chen said.
To prevent further anthropogenic damage to the coastal waters and the rich and diverse marine ecology supported by the coral reefs, the scientist suggested that a wastewater treatment plant be built on the island.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS