A species of octopus native to the waters north of Penghu County is on the brink of extinction, county officials said yesterday.
The octopus normally lives off the coast of Yuanbei Village (員貝) and near Jibei Village (吉貝) between the months of February and May, but over the past few years it has rarely been seen, Yuanbei Warden Chen Tien-jui (陳天瑞) said.
Chen believes the octopus’ declining population is due to changes in the ecosystem.
Photo courtesy of the Agriculture and Fisheries Bureau of Penghu County Government
Normally the octopus lays its eggs in the intertidal zone in the northern part of the county between the Lantern Festival and Tomb Sweeping Day.
Aside from Yuanbei and Jibei, the octopus was normally found near Citou Wharf (岐頭碼頭) and Jhongtun Village (中屯) in the county’s Baisha Township (白沙), as well as in Magong City’s Chongguang Borough (重光), Chen said.
The intertidal zone near Yuanbei has been largely filled with sand and stones, making the area suitable for some species while others have been eliminated, he said, adding that mantis shrimp and eels have also begun to disappear from the area.
The main reason is that the caverns and boulders that the marine animals would use to hide in have been buried, he said, adding that octopus species that like shallow waters are also losing places to nest in.
Hsieh Yung-liang (謝永亮), who collects satellite photographs of the county, said that the changes to the coastline over the past seven years are strikingly evident.
A photograph from 2011 shows blue water around the coastline, while one of the same coast from 2017 shows a coastline that is white from the shells, sand and gravel that have raised the seafloor, he said.
Another effect of a rising seafloor is a loss of coral, Hsieh said, adding that aside from the coral itself, the marine life it houses is being pushed out.
If the situation is not addressed soon, some indigenous marine life, including the small octopus native to the county, is likely to become extinct within 10 years, he said.
Merely prohibiting the fishing of the octopus would not save it from extinction, he added.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as