Dubbed “blue tears” by local residents, bioluminescence along the shore of Kinmen in spring has become a major tourist attraction for the outlying county.
The natural phenomenon was first observed a long time ago, but has only become a popular tourist attraction since the county opened up its coastline to tourists in recent years, the Kinmen County Fisheries Research Institute said.
Blue tears are formed when clusters of bioluminescent marine algae are disturbed by waves, said Li Chia-fa (李家發), a lead researcher at the institute.
Photo: CNA, courtesy of the Kinmen Photographers’ Association
The phenomenon is prevalent in warm seawater in April and May.
In the past, blue tears were associated not with Kinmen, but the Matsu Islands of Lienchiang County, which was thought to be the only location in Taiwan where it occurred, the institute said.
Hsu Chin-hsi (許進西), who heads the Kinmen Photographers’ Association, said that Kinmen’s topography makes it easier for visitors to get up close to the natural phenomenon.
People can even hold the glowing algae in their hands, whereas in Matsu it can only be viewed in the distance from a beach, Hsu said.
Blue tears can only be seen clearly in near-pitch darkness. Even the moon affects visibility, the association said.
The research institute plans to introduce an ecological tour based on the phenomenon to educate the public about environmental protection and conservation, while addressing such issues as marine pollution, Li said.
People wanting to see blue tears can also visit a pond in Jiougang Borough (舊港) in Kaohsiung’s Mituo District (彌陀), where they have been seen.
News that sparkles were sighted in a pond in the borough was reported last year, but the site is hard to find and the terrain is difficult to traverse, leading to many instances of visitors falling into ditches or becoming lost, residents said.
Groups are visiting the area as news of the phenomenon spreads, residents said.
Jiougang Police Chief Ou Chien-ming (毆建銘) said that the police station has set up an area to provide instructions on how to get to the pond, as many people go there to ask for directions.
The station urged visitors to refrain from driving on the narrow paths near the pond and to drive slowly at night.
People should not get too close to the edge of the pond, as they might fall in, and should refrain from feeding fish in the pond, as it could harm the pond’s ecology, the station said.
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on