The digestive tracts of most fish found in the waters around Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) contain plastic waste, a study has shown.
National Donghwa University marine biology professor Chen Te-hao (陳德豪) said that about 95 percent of fish in a study conducted around 117 coral formations near the township contained microplastic — plastic fragments 5mm in size or smaller.
There is an urgent need for the reduced use of plastics, Chen said, adding that the public is advised against eating fish offal.
In the study, all fish were found to have no fewer than five pieces of microplastic in their systems, with the bodies of larger mahi-mahi (also known as the common dolphinfish) containing as many as 32 pieces of plastic waste.
What concerned Chen most about the results was that even fish that normally live at depths of between 180m and 640m below the ocean’s surface were shown to have consumed plastic.
The study also looked at 21 turtles of different species, including green sea turtles, olive ridley sea turtles and hawksbill sea turtles, between December 2017 and November last year, and found that nearly all of them had consumed plastic, Chen said, adding that his research team is now looking at oysters.
Despite the discovery that plastic waste consumption among marine life is more pervasive than previously thought, the plastic is unlikely to pass through the food chain to humans unless people consume fish offal, Chen said.
Even if the plastic does not enter the human food chain, its impact on marine life is apparent, he said, adding that some get entangled in larger pieces of plastic, sometimes fatally.
“There are people recycling plastic and organizing beach cleanups nationwide, but this is a reactive response. We need to go to the source of the problem — to urgently reduce, even eliminate, the use of plastic,” he said.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS