Eighty previously unknown species of crustaceans and other marine life were discovered off Taiwan's eastern seaboard and in the South China Sea near Taiwan by researchers from local universities and research organizations, with assistance from France's Musee national d'Histoire naturelle and Japanese researchers.
Starting in 2001, with funding from the National Science Council, researchers from the National Taiwan Ocean University, Academia Sinica, National Chung Hsing University, the National Museum of Natural Science and other domestic and foreign institutions plumbed the depths of the Pacific Ocean near Taiwan with the help of a steel cable, nets and other collecting devices.
What they found astonished even seasoned marine biologists.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OFO CHEN TIEN-JEN
"Taiwan is surrounded on all sides by water rich in marine resources," National Taiwan Ocean University professor Chen Tien-jen (
Not anymore. Thanks to sophisticated new devices, the six-year exploration project was able to reach depths of 4,455m, allowing researchers to haul up from the cold, black waters rarely seen or previously unknown species, Chen said.
In all, 603 types of rare shrimp, fish and other crustaceans hitherto unseen in waters off Taiwan were discovered.
Named after Taiwan
Of that figure, 80 species were previously unknown. Five of the new species, including fish, shrimp and crabs, were given official names with the word "Taiwan" in them.
With 71 sub-species, Taiwan boasts the greatest variety of "grenadier," a prehistoric-looking deep-sea fish with razor-sharp teeth, of which there are 350 sub-species worldwide.
Taiwan also boasts the greatest variety of "squat lobsters," with 31 sub-species out of the 218 identified worldwide making their home deep in the waters off the country's east coast, he said.
While most countries shun Taiwan at the political level, its newly discovered marine biodiversity is attracting research organizations in droves, with plans to include the nation in other research projects, Chen said.
"Taiwan's rare biodiversity is something Taiwanese should be proud of and cherish," he said.
WHEELING AND DEALING? Hou You-yi, Ko Wen-je, Eric Chu and Ma Ying-jeou are under investigation for allegedly offering bribes for the other side to drop out of the race Taipei prosecutors have started an investigation into allegations that four top politicians involved in attempts to form a “blue-white” presidential ticket have contravened election regulations. Listed as defendants are Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲). The case stemmed from judicial complaints filed last month with the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office alleging that the KMT (blue) and the TPP (white) had engaged in bribery by offering money or other enticements
ELIGIBLE FOR JANUARY: All presidential candidates and their running mates meet the requirements to run for office, and none hold dual citizenship, the CEC said Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator and vice presidential candidate Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) is working with the Central Election Commission (CEC) to resolve issues with her financial disclosure statement, a spokesman for the candidate said yesterday, after the commission published the statements of all three presidential candidates and their running mates, while confirming their eligibility to run in the Jan. 13 election. Wu’s office spokesman, Chen Yu-cheng (陳宥丞), said the candidate encountered unforeseen difficulties disclosing her husband’s finances due to being suddenly thrust into the campaign. She is also the first vice presidential nominee to have a foreign spouse, complicating the reporting of
GOOD NEWS: Although open civic spaces are shrinking in Asia-Pacific countries and territories, Taiwan’s openness is a positive sign, an expert said Taiwan remains the only country in Asia with an “open” civic space for the fifth consecutive year, the Civicus Monitor said in a report released yesterday. The People Power Under Attack 2023 report named Taiwan as one of only 37 open countries or territories out of 198 globally, and the only one in Asia. Compiled by Civicus — a global alliance of civil society organizations dedicated to bolstering civil action — the ranking compiled annually since 2017 measures the state of freedom of association, peaceful assembly and expression around the world. Researchers assign each country or territory one of five rankings describing the
NOT JUST CHIPS: Although semiconductor processes are on the list, it also includes military technology and post-quantum cryptography to combat emerging cyberthreats The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) yesterday released a list of 22 technologies it considers crucial to the nation’s security and competitiveness, including the 14-nanometer semiconductor process and advanced chip packaging. For the first time, the council made a list of core technologies with an aim of preventing secret information about those technologies being leaked to foreign countries, which could put the nation’s security and the competitiveness of local industries at risk. For years, local semiconductor companies have faced challenges from talent poaching and theft of corporate secrets by Chinese competitors, who are seeking to rapidly advance their technology capabilities through
RSS