With the help of local volunteers, the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area Administration has set up mooring buoys in the waters surrounding Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) to protect its coral reefs.
Agency Director Hsu Chu-lung (許主龍) said that the first buoys were placed off the coast of Shanfu Fishing Harbor (杉福漁港), the Duozaiping (多仔坪) area and Beauty Cave (美人洞), with more buoys planned if no problems arise.
Volunteers from a group called Siaoliouciou Ecological Preservation gather weekly to remove underwater trash.
Windows on the group’s semi-submarine let them observe volunteers at work 16m underwater.
On a recent trip, they noticed that the waters around coral reefs were clearer than those near underwater beds of mud or sand — which reinforced their belief in the importance of coral reef protection.
Mooring buoys have been installed off the coast of Kenting National Park for years, giving boats, yachts and other vessels a place to moor, while preventing anchors from damaging coral reefs along the sea floor.
In recent years, underwater recreation has seen a surge in popularity near Siaoliouciou Island. As more boats began visiting the island, their anchors were destroying the coral reef habitat.
Last October, to promote diving tourism, the government invited several underwater photographers from different countries to take photographs near Siaoliouciou Island, the agency said.
While praising the scenery, the photographers suggested marine conservation strategies such as designating marine protected areas and placing mooring buoys near diving sites, the agency added.
The proposal to place mooring buoys around the island quickly won support from the Pingtung County Government, the Liouciou Fishermen’s Association and the Liouciou Township Office, Hsu said, adding that agency staff members, Siaoliouciou Tourism Development Association representatives and Siaoliouciou Ecological Preservation volunteers also visited Kenting National Park to learn from Kenting’s (墾丁) experience.
Hsu said the agency owed the success of its project to local volunteers and scuba diving businesses — and their familiarity with local waters — and thanked the Liouciou Fishermen’s Association for its help with communicating with fishers and preventing them from accidentally damaging the newly placed buoys.
The agency hopes that boats and vessels in the region will take advantage of the mooring buoys and avoid lowering anchors into the ocean, it said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
RSS