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Fishing association warns of unusual shark increase

A blue shark caught off the coast of Taitung County on Wednesday is pictured on a hook. Fishermen have reported a surge of sharks in the area. PHOTO: CHEN HSIEN-YI, TAIPEI TIMES

A fishing association in Taitung has issued a “code-red warning” to tourists and recreational fishermen warning of a surge in the number of sharks in Taitung waters.

Taitung County Government official Wu You-chin (吳有進) said the county government would ask experts to look into the phenomenon and post signs along the coastline to warn visitors.

Chen Shou-ching (陳守青), a member of the association, posted an initial warning on the group’s Web site on July 3 after he caught three sharks weighing between 18kg and 60kg between June 14 and June 29.

Two other fishermen caught five sharks weighing between 12kg and 72kg during the same period, Chen said.

At the same time, he said, he and the other fishermen had repeatedly had lines snapped off by what they suspected were large sharks.

After Chen caught two more sharks on July 7, the association issued its alert.

Lee Chi-hao (李志豪), a Taitung fisherman, said fishermen rarely catch sharks because the fish seldom stray into the coastal zone.

Taitung fishermen normally pull up around 10 sharks per year, Lee said, adding that 50 had been caught so far this year.

Lee said some people attributed the increase in sharks to a surge in monk goby fry in the area. However, the surge is a yearly phenomenon. In June and July every year, large numbers of Monk goby fry swim to the rivers on the east coast after hatching in the ocean.

The sharks might be hunting fish that eat the fry, Lee said.

Chuang Shou-cheng (莊守正), a professor at National Taiwan Ocean University, said the increase in sharks along the coast was probably “accidental” and would not last long.
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