Yang Mengxuan
According to the "Taiwan Freshwater Fish Red Book" survey published in 2012, Taiwan has found a total of 265 species of native freshwater fish, including 37 species of "Taiwan endemic species" found in Taiwan alone in the world, and the fish ecology is quite rich. However, whether it is in the landscape pond or even in the natural lake, it is always the colorful koi, Wuguo fish and other exotic species that swim leisurely. One wonders, where are Taiwan's native freshwater fish?
Jinlong Lake in Xizhi District is close to the residential area. Photo: Yang Mengxuan.
Jinlong Lake in Xizhi District is the largest lake in shuangbei area, surrounded by residential areas, and there is a trail around the lake on the shore of the lake for residents and tourists to rest.
At 9:00 a.m., many anglers had gathered on the shore of Jinlong Lake. At the bottom of the wooden boardwalk around the lake, the Qili fish gather in groups, and the anglers put down the bait at will, and the live jumping Qili fish are easily hooked. Anglers say that almost all the freshwater fish that are caught now are strong exotic species of Wu Guo fish, Thai snakehead fish, or curved waist fish and Qili fish, which are adaptable and can tolerate dirty waters. An angler bluntly said, "It is difficult to see the freshwater fish that originally inhabited this lake in Jinlong Lake." ”
The Qili fish caught by anglers in Jinlong Lake is a freshwater fish species with strong adaptability. Photo: Yang Mengxuan.
In the early days, Jinlong Lake once had a rich freshwater fish ecology, but with the development of the project, sewage discharge and the free stocking of fishermen, it has long been destroyed.
Jinlong Lake is the epitome of many lakes in Taiwan, which is quite civilized on the water, but the ecology under the water is completely unrecognizable.
<h1>Freshwater fish that inhabit lakes and ponds are the most at risk</h1>
In 2012, the "Red Book of Freshwater Fish in Taiwan" commissioned by the Forestry Bureau of the Agricultural Committee of the Agricultural Committee was published, announcing that as many as 1/5 of freshwater fish species were threatened, including 10 species of protected fish. Among them, freshwater fish that inhabit still water areas such as lakes and ponds are the most dangerous.
"The cherry blossom hookfish that live in the mountains are not the fish most urgently needed to be preserved." Chen Yixiong, an expert in fish taxonomy, a professor at ocean university and one of the authors of the Red Book, said that fish living in the middle and lower reaches of rivers and lakes and ponds have high biodiversity, but they are persecuted by multiple factors such as wastewater pollution, habitat loss caused by engineering, and improper stocking of alien species by the public.
The rivers are managed by the government, and the units are able to restore the ecology by sealing the creeks and protecting the fish through public power. However, the water area of the lake and pond is small and the environment is closed, and once it is polluted and invaded by alien species, the damage is difficult to recover. Some lakes are privately owned and conservation operations may be difficult.
Chen Yixiong believes that compared with pollution, the ecological harm caused by foreign species invasion to the still water area of Pitang pond is more serious, especially the cichlid family to which Wu Guoyu belongs. "Most of the alien species are mainland species, from South America, Africa, very strong personality, almost no natural enemies to Taiwan."
In 2011, Chen Yixiong surveyed the fish resources in Taiwan's freshwater region, and recorded that the number of exotic fish species recorded accounted for 22% of the total number of surveys. Abandonment of breeding by the public, improper exotic releases by anglers, and mass releases by religious groups are all responsible for the invasion of alien species, which may lead to the extinction of native freshwater fish.
The Taiwanese bream was included in the conservation category in 2009. Photo courtesy of: Chenrui Zhong.
<h1>Taiwanese bream who was forced to move
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Among them, the conservation fish "Taiwan bream", which belongs to Taiwan's endemic species, almost disappeared from the earth silently.
In the early days, it was widely distributed in the northern region, living in the slow water area of Pitang Lake or the middle and lower reaches of the river, preferring to stay in the lake where the transparency of the lake is low and the aquatic plants are overgrown. It is 5–8 cm long and features a black stripe on the side of its body.
However, due to habitat destruction and invasion by foreign species, the Taiwanese bream retreated all the way from the northern lake stream to the Xizhi CuiHu Lake, and finally to the strictly protected Dream Lake to survive.
<h1>The only remaining natural habitat of Taiwan's slender bream is the loss of Cuihu Lake</h1>
Walk north along Jinlong Lake for about 20 minutes to reach the Cuihu Trailhead, and then climb a short walk to reach Cuihu. Green Lake was an artificial lake excavated for water demand in the early mines, and later became a sightseeing spot, and nearby residents can be seen here in the morning.
Commentary board next to Green Lake. Photo: Yang Mengxuan.
The commentary board on the side told the public that Cuihu Lake is the only natural habitat of Taiwanese bream. But ironically, the current Green Lake, not a single tail of Taiwanese bream can be seen.
Three or four turtles in the lake float to the surface, several fat koi can be seen swimming with the naked eye, and a few Wuguo fish on the shore rest quietly. As the people peeled off the crumbs in their hands and fed them, the lake was suddenly chaotic.
Cuihu Lake has long been invaded by exotic species such as koi, Wuguo fish, and Brazilian turtles, and its ecological appearance has undergone drastic changes. Photo: Yang Mengxuan.
Zhong Chenrui, director of the Taiwan Native Fish Conservation Association and a primary school teacher in the Republic of China, went to Cuihu Lake in 2001 to do an ecological survey. "At that time, the ecology of Cuihu Lake was quite rich, and you could find Taiwanese bream, Qi's stone carp, cover spotted fighting fish, blissful kissing shrimp tiger, beautiful white shrimp, and some good aquatic plants."
A few years later, Zhong Chenrui went back to investigate, and almost could not find these fish, only Wu Guo fish, koi, Brazilian red-eared turtle, Cuihu Lake has been invaded by foreign species, Taiwanese bream disappeared without a trace. Zhong Chenrui explained that taiwanese bream will stick their eggs to aquatic weeds, while invasive foreign fish will eat aquatic weeds and dispose of the breeding medium of Taiwanese bream, reducing the number of populations and endangering them. The more ferocious alien species even eat small fish and adult fish directly.
In addition, local residents hope to make the green lake neat and beautiful, and change the shore of the lake into landscape plants, and when it rains, the slope soil will wash into the lake and slowly silt up. The aquatic weeds on the shores of the lake for taiwanese bream have also been buried, and the area of Cuihu Lake has gradually become smaller and the water has become much shallower due to the accumulation of mud.
The area of Cuihu Lake is getting smaller and smaller due to silt accumulation. Photo: Yang Mengxuan.
The woods and grass around Cuihu Lake seem to have preserved the original ecology, and you can even see Taiwanese blue magpies nesting here. However, the people and anglers put strong alien species into the green lake, and the ecology under the lake surface has long been no different from the general ornamental pool.
Cuihu Lake, which was originally regarded as the last habitat of Taiwan's slender bream, could not find any trace of Taiwan's slender bream.
<h1>Conservation and re-breeding The Taiwanese bream was reborn in Dream Lake</h1>
Although Dream Lake is a private lake, it retains its pristine ecology because of its proper management. Photo: Yang Mengxuan.
Fortunately, before the disappearance of the Taiwan bream, private conservationists moved the Taiwan bream from Cuihu Lake to the assessed habitat for breed preservation and restoration. Lake Of Dreams is one of the sites of restoration.
Dream Lake is a private lake half an hour's drive from Green Lake, and signs can be seen everywhere telling visitors that feeding, stocking and fishing are prohibited in Dream Lake. More than 10 years ago, Liao Yuanxing, one of the landlords, decided to maintain the ecology of Dream Lake, and with the consent of other landlords, opened a café to manage Dream Lake nearby.
Liao Yuanxing, the landlord of Dream Lake, set up signs throughout Dream Lake to urge tourists to comply. Photo: Yang Mengxuan.
Under the management of Liao Yuanxing, this 4-meter-deep lake, about 600 square meters, has nearly 10,000 Taiwanese bream living here.
Liao Yuanxing said that these Taiwanese bream were introduced from Cuihu Lake by the Wilderness Conservation Association, re-bred and bred in Dream Lake, and regularly observed and recorded. Today, you can see Taiwanese bream swimming in the Dream Lake, and the Wilderness Conservation Association is indispensable. Every summer, the Wilderness Conservation Association also sends volunteers to Dream Lake to help guide the tour for free and tell visitors about the precious ecology here.
Through the efforts of conservationists and Liao Yuanxing, there are now about 10,000 Taiwanese bream living in Dream Lake. Photo: Yang Mengxuan.
<h1>Managing Dream Lake alone Liao Yuanxing spared no effort
Dream Lake is rich in aquatic grasses, the water quality is clean and pollution-free, and Liao Yuanxing strictly prohibits people from stocking behavior, so that Dream Lake retains its original ecology. In addition to the Taiwanese bream, there are also native fish species such as the covered-spotted bucket fish and the earth crucian carp in the lake, as well as a variety of dragonflies inhabiting and water birds coming here to nest.
The entire Dream Lake and the Trail around the Lake are managed by Liao Yuanxing alone on weekdays. Even though he has tried to preach, some people still secretly put exotic fish species in Dream Lake.
At 10:00 a.m., before the tourists came to the door, Liao Yuanxing fished the Thai gilts with a net alone at the lake to avoid the growth of this exotic carnivorous fish and endanger the survival of other fish. "Recently it was the breeding season of Thai snakeheads and I was very nervous. If I let it grow into a fish, I can only catch it with a harpoon. ”
In dream lake, a clump of yellow algae can often be seen, and tourists say that there are many dirty things on the lake. Liao Yuanxing said that in fact, it is yellow fox algae, an endangered aquatic insectivore that will prey on widows, so there are almost no mosquitoes in Dream Lake. "Once someone secretly released two grass carp, and the yellow fox algae was half eaten, and I fished for half a year before catching the grass carp."
<h1>Insufficient tourist concept is the biggest obstacle to maintaining the ecology</h1>
Liao Yuanxing (right) and tourists explain the ecology of Dream Lake. Photo: Yang Mengxuan.
It is not easy to maintain the ecology of Dream Lake, Liao Yuanxing recalled, someone once twisted his mind about the dream lake that was a conservation type of cover spot fighting fish at that time, and he was on the bar with these people with thorny dragons and phoenixes and fierce attitudes. "I shouted at him, as long as I dared to put the fishing net down, I would call the police. He and I confronted each other from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. before he gave up leaving. ”
Liao Yuanxing does not charge a ticket to visit, so he can adhere to his own rules and principles, and do not have to cater to tourists who spend money and think they are the biggest. He admitted that the standard of tourists still needs to be strengthened. "Cafes don't make bottled drinks and take-out cups, just to reduce the amount of garbage, but the garbage carried by tourists can't be collected."
"Dream Lake is rich in ecology, but if no one takes care of it, it will soon be destroyed." Liao Yuanxing sighed that when he could not continue to operate one day, the precious ecology, including Taiwan's bream, might be destroyed.
Taiwanese bream have temporarily found shelter in Lake Mon, but if it were not for the efforts of conservationists and Liao Yuanxing, Lake Dream, like other lakes in Taiwan, could suffer ecological havoc with vandalism.
<h1>Insufficient Government Strength, People's Concepts Are Not Complete, and the Lamentations of the Native Fish are Difficult to Stop</h1>
The bumpy road experienced by Taiwan's slender bream is the fate that many native freshwater fish are facing or are about to face. The people have not established a correct concept, coupled with the limited capacity of the government, more and more taiwanese native fish are in crisis.
Chen Yixiong said bluntly that Taiwanese people only attach importance to water civilization and do not care what looks like under the water. "As long as there are fish swimming in the pool, no matter what kind of fish it is." Cement is also used to build the river, and the aquatic grass on the shore cannot grow, so how can the fish survive? ”
At that time, Chen Yixiong and other scholars did ecological surveys for taiwan's native fish and published a red book. But from publication to now, the ForestRy Bureau of the Committee of Agriculture has only invited him to Kinmen to save a fish species of large-scaled plum bream. No other measures have been taken against other threatened fish species.
And the public continues to abandon their fish in ponds; Anglers put ferocious exotic fish species into lakes in pursuit of the pleasure of being hooked; religious groups buy fish in large quantities and release them improperly, and Taiwan's native freshwater fish are struggling because of human behavior underwater that we can't see.
In the absence of the government and the concept of public conservation has not yet been established, the lament of Taiwan's native fish will be repeatedly played.