1 Taiwanese fishermen caught two ghost bats that were listed as "vulnerable species" by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and slaughtered them directly and sent them to the fish market! According to apple daily report, although the ghost bat ray is listed as a vulnerable species, but in Taiwan is not listed as a conservation level, recently caught by fishermen sent to Kaohsiung Qianzhen fishing port, the bloody appearance in the photo made netizens quite shocked, decided to complain to "Apple". At the scene, many people rushed to take photos with the dying ghost bat, and many people also took out their mobile phones to take pictures.
2 After apple received the complaint, it immediately checked with the Fisheries Department and Zhuang Shouzheng, professor of environmental biology and fishery sciences at Ocean University in Taiwan, and found that the photo was indeed a ghost bat that was listed as a "vulnerable species" by iUCN as a secondary conservation animal. According to the Fisheries Department, even if the ghost bat is not considered a conservation animal in the country, it is still required to notify it when it is caught. "If no notification is made after the discovery, a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 will be imposed in accordance with article 65, paragraph 6 of the Fisheries Law," the Fisheries Department said.
3 He also explained that the ghost bat will appear in Taiwan for food, and follow the Kuroshio and tropical Pacific warm water to Taiwan, not a native species of Taiwan, but the awareness of conservation in Taiwan is not high enough, many fishermen still think that it is mine, which makes him feel that the competent authorities can do a little better, (at present) The overall behavior is still full of negativity! He also pointed out that Southeast Asian countries know better than Taiwan the tourism benefits that ghost bats can bring, for example, the Philippines has established a fairly complete database to clearly identify what is a ghost bat.
4 However, he believes that there is still an opportunity for Taiwanese fishermen to adjust their attitudes, "as in the past in eastern Taiwan." In the past, dolphins were killed and sold back, but later it was found that whale watching and dolphin viewing could have better economic benefits, and fishermen would know that this could be a source of money, "killing creatures is not the only option.").