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.
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