An influx of jellyfish in coastal waters off Penghu County and the discovery of a large number of unidentified red ants on the nation’s beaches has prompted researchers to say the phenomena might cause an ecological crisis.
A massive amount of box jellyfish was discovered near the sea cucumber conservation area around Wukan Fishing Harbor (烏崁漁港), while an unknown ant species was found in tidal areas in Husi Township (湖西).
National Penghu University of Science and Technology professor of marine biology Huang Yu-sheng (黃俞升) found more than 100 box jellyfish near the harbor while conducting marine resource research with marine biologist Chen Chin-chuan (陳盡川), former director of the Penghu Zooxanthellae Association.
“The jellyfish were motionless underwater, but rose to the surface when we dived into the water, which poses a danger to unsuspecting divers,” Huang said.
The box jellyfish bloom might lead to another marine ecological disaster following an influx of crown-of-thorns sea stars in waters off the southern islands of Penghu since 2010, which greatly damaged coral reefs, he said.
Box jellyfish, also known as sea wasps, produce potent venom and have dozens of tentacles, Huang said.
There are dozens of box jellyfish species, with the most deadly being Chironex fleckeri, whose venom can kill an adult human in three minutes. That species is mostly found in northern Australian waters.
The jellyfish species found in Penghu is much less poisonous. Its sting could cause severe pain, so it is recommended that divers and swimmers avoid the area, Huang said, adding that the cause of the jellyfish bloom is unknown.
Meanwhile, a large number of red ants were found on beaches near a wind farm in Husi, Marine biologist Hung Kuo-hsiung (洪國雄) said.
Waves did not affect the species’ activity, which is contrary to common understanding of ant behavior.
If ants are found on the beach, they are most likely building nests on floating wood, but ants have never been observed at the tideline, Hung said.
The ants might be foraging garbage for food on the beach, but further investigation is needed to determine the species, Hung said.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
RSS