Rescued baby dolphin dies despite rehabilitation attempts

April 4, 2020April 4, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Keelung City, Risso's dolphin, Taiwan Cetacean Society

A young juvenile Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus) died in a rehabilitation pool in Keelung City yesterday, after being found stranded on the coast at Su’ao, on Taiwan’s north-east coast. Coast guard officers notified Taiwan Cetacean Society at around noon on April 1 that an injured juvenile Risso’s dolphin was stranded on a beach near Su’ao Harbor. A veterinarian identified wounds suspected to be caused by a cookie-cutter shark (Isistius brasiliensis). The dolphin was transferred to a rehabilitation center in Keelung

whale shark stranded on Green Island, Taiwan

Marine and Fisheries

December 23, 2019December 23, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment green-island, marine conservation, whale shark

Up to twenty people helped to keep a 7-meter-long whale shark alive before pushing it back into the sea on Green Island, in a difficult rescue operation involving Coast Guard officers, marine scientists, and members of the general public, yesterday, December 22. Coast Guard officers on Green Island received a report at around 4:30 pm that a large whale shark was seen stranded on rocks at Sleeping Beauty Rock Beach. When coast guard officers arrived at the scene, residents of

Marine and Fisheries

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment marine search and rescue, ship-sinking, shipping accident, Taiwan Coast Guard, Taiwan Strait

Thirteen people were rescued and 12 are still missing after one gravel ship sank and another overturned in the middle of the Taiwan Strait yesterday, October 6. Taiwan’s National Rescue Command Center received a distress call from the vessels early yesterday morning. A Coast Guard vessel was dispatched from Penghu, Taiwan to assist in the search and rescue operation. Other vessels and a helicopter were dispatched from China, while a fixed wing aircraft from Hong Kong also assisted. According to

Marine and Fisheries Typhoon

September 30, 2019September 30, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ghost ship, marine salvage, ship aground, Yilan County

As Typhoon Mitag bears down on Taiwan’s northeast coast, harbor authorities decided to abort an operation to tow a 1,000 tonne freighter off the rocky shore at Daxi Harbor, Yilan County, yesterday, after an inspection team found that the hull had already been breached and had taken on water. The crewless, nameless, freighter ran aground Saturday, September 28, after drifting into Taiwan waters from the Yangtze River via the sea of Japan. Maritime authorities believe that the ship had been

Marine and Fisheries

September 28, 2019September 28, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ghost ship, ship adrift, ship aground, Yilan County

A crewless Chinese freighter first spotted drifting off the coast of northeastern Taiwan yesterday, September 27, ran aground on a rocky shoreline outside Daxi Fishing Harbor in Yilan County today, September 28. According to United Daily News, Japanese authorities alerted Taiwan about the drifting ship Thursday, September 26, after it was spotted in Japanese waters. Japan also contacted maritime authorities in China, but received no response from the Chinese. Taiwan coast guard ships yesterday intercepted the ship 15.7 nautical miles

The freighter Ji Shun under power without a crew near Taiwan

Marine and Fisheries

September 22, 2019September 22, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment marine salvage, marine search and rescue, search and rescue, ship adrift

A 7,000-tonne freighter was towed to the Port of Kaohsiung today, after being abandoned by its crew northwest of Taiwan three days ago, and continuing under power, before drifting into the Taiwan Strait. At around 5:00am, Thursday, September 19, the National Search and Rescue Command Center received a distress call from the vessel Ji Shun, located around 50 nautical miles northwest of Cape Fugui. The captain informed the rescue center that he and his crew were preparing to abandon ship

Marine and Fisheries

May 6, 2019May 6, 2019 Phillip Charlier 5 Comments hualien, megamouth shark

A megamouth shark caught by a fishing boat operating out of Hualien was sold to a restaurant after fishery authorities inspected the specimen and took samples today, May 6. The 3.5 meter long shark weighed in at 612 kilograms after being brought into port by the Xin-Shenbao 36 fishing vessel shortly after 6:00am this morning. The captain reported the catch to the Hualien Port Security Office, as required by law. After inspection and sampling, the shark was sold by auction

Marine and Fisheries

March 21, 2019February 5, 2024 Phillip Charlier 16 Comments great white, Ilan, shark, Yilan County

A great white shark measuring over 4 meters long was delivered and sold at a fish market in Su’ao Township, Yilan County today, March 20, after being caught as bycatch off the northeast coast of Taiwan. The shark weighed in at 1170 kilograms and was sold by auction at a price of NT$50 (US$1.62) per kilogram for a total of NT$58,500 (US$1,898.90). The buyer, named as “Taiwan Ocean Art Museum” in various reports, appears to be a company engaged in

Marine and Fisheries

March 20, 2019March 20, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Cuvier's beaked whale, marine conservation, plastic, Taitung County, whale

A dead whale that washed up on a beach in Cheng-gong Township, Taitung County, March 15, was found to have a significant amount of plastic and other man-made materials in its stomach, after being dissected, yesterday, March 19. Researchers from the Ocean Conservation Administration, and the Taiwan Cetacean Society, said the 565-centimeter-long Cuvier’s beaked whale was pregnant, and contained a 165-centimeter-long fetus. Inside the stomach of the whale, the researchers found 6 plastic bags, 4 burlap bags, a piece of

stern section of grounded oil tanker after splitting in two

Marine and Fisheries

June 19, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment marine salvage, MT Shine Luck, Port of Kaohsiung, ship aground

One of two empty oil tankers that ran aground on the coast of Kaohsiung on June 14 broke into two pieces this morning, June 18. Fortunately, despite being hampered by continuing poor weather conditions, fuel oil was successfully removed from the vessel yesterday, and a major pollution incident was averted. The Panamanian-flagged MT Shine Luck and the Fiji-registered Winner 19 ran aground at around the same time last Thursday evening, as a tropical low that had almost reached typhoon strength

Marine and Fisheries

June 17, 2018June 18, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment marine salvage, Port of Kaohsiung, ship aground

[Picture: Maritime and Port Bureau] Fuel oil is being pumped from two oil tankers that ran aground on the coast of Kaohsiung June 14, but operations have been hampered by large swells and heavy rain today, June 17. Efforts to drain the ships stepped up today, but work had to frequently stop as waves continued to pound the MT Shine Luck, which is grounded against concrete wave-breakers. The Winner 19 is grounded on sand on Linyuan Beach, and while there

Marine and Fisheries

Rescued baby dolphin dies despite rehabilitation attempts

Whale shark rescued after stranding on Green Island

12 missing after ship sinks, another overturns in the Taiwan Strait

Stranded ship left to mercy of typhoon after towing operation aborted

Ghost ship runs aground in Yilan County as tropical storm approaches

“Ghost ship” brought into port after drifting for three days

Rare megamouth shark caught off Taiwan’s east coast

Big, pregnant great white shark caught off Taiwan’s north-east coast

Plastic garbage found in stomach of dead, pregnant whale

Fuel Oil Removed in Nick of Time as Grounded Ship Breaks Up

Oil Pumping Operation on Grounded Tankers Hampered by Bad Weather