Illegal fishing off Pingtung County might be the cause of vanishing marine life in the Houbi Lake Marine Resource Reserve Exhibition Center (後壁湖保護示範區), including fish considered vital to local tourism, conservationists said.
A brood of seven orbicular batfish have attracted divers since last month, when they were first spotted in the protected area, but the fish began to disappear on Thursday last week, with four remaining as of Saturday, diver and conservationist Lao Jiang (老江) said.
The appearance of the species in the area, featured on the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium’s emblem, has excited local divers, who use bread to entice the fish to swim with them, said another diver, surnamed Lee (李).
Photo courtesy of Liang Kou-kou
Within a month of appearing in the area, the brood of four adult and three young fish was reduced to one adult and three young fish, with illegal fishing seemingly to blame, Lee said.
Some giant oceanic manta rays, another attraction for divers in the area, have also been photographed in recent days with fishing hooks lodged in their mouths, Lee added.
Lao Jiang said the orbicular batfish come to the area between summer and autumn to feed on its rich stores of algae, making migration an unlikely cause for their disappearance.
The attempts to catch manta rays and the vanishing batfish suggest the presence of illegal fishing in the area, he said.
The orbicular batfish belongs to the Ephippidae family, whose members are considered a delicacy, with a mature fish fetching more than NT$1,000 on the market, making them tempting targets for illegal fishermen, Lao Jiang said, calling on the national park and conservation authorities to enforce the fishing ban.
The Kenting National Park Administration said it has urged the public to refrain from fishing in the following areas — near Houwan (後灣), Hongchaikeng (紅柴坑), Baishawan (白砂灣), Siatanzih (下潭仔), Cingwashih (青蛙石), Chuan-fanshih (船帆石), the mouth of Gangkou River (港口溪) and Jialeshuei (佳樂水) near Kenting (墾丁) — and that it would boost patrol efforts by coordinating with the Seventh Special Police Corps.
The public should report illegal fishing activities, it added.
Local conservationists said the national park administration has long struggled to protect the orbicular batfish.
In April, it was reported that the regional batfish population had dropped from about 50 to less than 10, despite the establishment of a reserve area for the species near Green Island, they said.
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