Volunteer divers on Saturday harpooned 10 Thai snakehead fish, as the nation seeks to eradicate the invasive species from Taitung City’s Huoshuei Lake (活水湖).
“Huoshuei Lake hosts many watersports events and is an important recreational space for residents,” Taitung Underwater Federation president Huang Tung-yi (黃東益) told a lakeside news conference.
“This event was organized to ensure that the lake’s waters remain safe for the public and indigenous fish,” he said.
Photo: Huang Ming-tang, Taipei Times
The Taitung County Government asked diving enthusiasts to help eradicate the species in the lake after visitors reported seeing clutches of eggs and schools of juvenile snakehead fish in waters near the shore, he said.
The observation suggests that the invasive fish are thriving, which means indigenous species and ornamental fish the county might want to introduce to the lake would be displaced, he said.
A large snakehead population is also a liability to public safety because adults of the species are fiercely protective of their young, he said, adding that several swimmers have been bitten after getting too close to fry.
Harpooning was chosen as the method for the cull because other, less discriminating methods could affect indigenous fish, federation rescue committee chairman Cheng Yu-hao (鄭又豪) said.
Low visibility from cloudy weather made spotting the fish difficult, and the divers had to search among the kelp using flashlights and shoot the fish with harpoon guns, he said.
“The fish often sensed the divers before the divers could see them, so the [culling] was very difficult,” he said, adding that the adult fish they caught in four hours of the exercise were 30cm to 50cm long.
Huoshuei Lake is part of the Beinan River (卑南溪) national wetland and members of the public must obtain permission from conservation authorities before visiting, Taitung County Agriculture Department Director Hsu Chia-hao (許家豪) said.
The lake also hosts the county’s triathlons, he said.
The lake’s waters originate from an aquifer and flow into the sea, which allows saltwater and freshwater fish to mingle, Hsu said, adding that fish living in the lake include roe-bearing mullets, snappers, eels and giant trevallies.
The county and environmental authorities are disturbed by increasing reports of invasive species in Huoshuei Lake, he said, adding officials would continue efforts to eradicate them.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
Three tropical depressions yesterday intensified into tropical storms, with one likely to affect Taiwan as a typhoon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The three storms, named Mitag, Ragasa and Neoguri, were designated as storms No. 17 to 19 for this year, the CWA said. Projected routes indicate that Ragasa is most likely to affect Taiwan, it said. As of 2am today, Ragasa was 1,370km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) on the southernmost tip of Taiwan. It was moving west-northwest before turning northwest, slowing from 11kph to 6kph, the agency said. A sea warning for Ragasa is unlikely before Sunday afternoon, but its outer rim
RSS