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.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS