[New Taipei City News]June 8th each year is World Oceans Day. To respond to this significant day, we continue to care about and protect the ocean. To promote the sustainability of fishery resources, New Taipei City government announced to establish Yehliu Reproduction and Conservation Area for Aquatic Animals and Plants at the end of 2019, and it continues to restore the resources of neritic squid in the conservation area to enrich marine ecology.
Yehliu Conservation Area is located in the approximately three-hectare waters between Yehliu Ocean World and Dongao Fishing Port. As the restoration of neritic squid around the artificial bamboo reef was successful in recent years, New Taipei City government specially singled out the waters from Wanli Conservation Area at the end of 2019 to fortify restrictions on picking and catching aquatic plants and animals in this area. At present, only agar and eucheuma can be picked with some restrictions after application for picking these two kinds of aquatic plants has been approved. The picking and catching of other species with any method in this conservation area are prohibited, including picking or catching by hand and fishing by the shore. Yehliu Conservation Area is the first fully closed fishing area in New Taipei City. Since the establishment of the bamboo reef for the restoration of neritic squid, the number of small neritic squid has increased, the completeness of the food chain has been elevated, and biodiversity has become richer as well.
The method of recovering neritic squid in Yehliu Conservation Area is to attract the squid to lay eggs on bamboo clusters that form bamboo reefs. After numerous trials, it has been found that bamboo reefs made with hedge bamboo are the best as they last longer in the sea water, and workers do not get slashed easily during the construction. Additionally, neritic squid love this environment better, laying a great number of eggs on hedge bamboo clusters. After collecting bamboo clusters, they are bundled and transported to the waters of Yehliu Conservation Area by boat. Then, professional diving teams fasten the bamboo clusters in the sea, with at least 600 bamboo sticks being set up each year. Neritic squid are attracted to the bamboo clusters standing in great numbers in the sea, swimming back and forth around them as if they are dancing. After neritic squid mate, they lay eggs on bamboo clusters. Each bamboo cluster is filled with innumerable neritic squid eggs. Bamboo clusters are then fixed at the bottom of the waters by diving teams, and they can be used again to attract squid to lay eggs during their breeding season. Neritic squid die soon after they reproduce, becoming a part of the food chain. A variety of fishes are also attracted to the bamboo reef, such as blue devils, discus fish, butterfly fish, parrot fish and so on, which are commonly seen among coral reefs.
Fisheries and Fishing Port Affairs Management Office, New Taipei City Government indicated that in principle, it is completely prohibited to pick and catch aquatic plants and animals in Yehliu Conservation Area, so people and fishermen are requested to pay attention to the rule. To promote the sustainability of fishery resources, the city government has continued to instruct the fishermen’s associations to set up bamboo reefs in recent years to provide marine life with a better environment for reproduction, foraging and perching in addition to fortifying prohibition and restriction against any picking or catching action. The recovery of neritic squid in Yehliu Conservation Area not only increases the resources of neritic squid, but also continues to enrich biodiversity in the waters, maintaining a good ecological environment.
