marine conservation

Leatherback sea turtle dies after ingesting fishing line

stranded leatherback sea turtle
Animals Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

Hengchun, Taiwan – A leatherback turtle found stranded on the coast of Pingtung County in southern Taiwan in July died of starvation due to fishing line stuck in its digestive tract, an autopsy revealed. Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council released autopsy results indicating that the cause of death was necrotizing enteritis, as the turtle’s stomach was empty, and its intestinal tract contained a total of 425 centimeters of fishing line. This obstruction led to folding and twisting in the lower digestive

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Rare “living fossil” goblin shark caught off Taiwan’s east coast purchased by museum

Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

Fishermen operating out of Nanfang’ ao Fishing Port in Yilan County caught a rare deep-sea goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) yesterday, and it will be used as an educational exhibit after it was purchased by a museum. The 800-kilogram, 4.7-meter-long goblin shark was caught at a depth of 8oo meters in a bottom-trawl net, drawing criticism from some quarters. The fact that the shark carried six unborn babies in its womb made critics even angrier. According to the Fisheries Agency of

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Environmental group draws attention to fishing gear threat with video of turtle injured by fish lure

sea turtle hooked by fishing lure
Animals Marine and Fisheries 
Press Release 0 Comment , , , ,

Press Release: Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) The Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) recently received reports of a green loggerhead impaled by a barbed fishing lure in the waters off Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County. The lure pierced the turtle’s chin, neck and left fin, visibly tugging at the animal’s skin with every fin stroke. The injured turtle was spotted by divers who captured video footage of the scene. According to Taiwan’s Wildlife Conservation Act, members

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3 rough-toothed dolphins stranded on New Taipei City beach released after 3 days rehabilitation

Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Three dolphins found stranded on a beach in New Taipei City’s Bali District, Wednesday, were released in waters off the coast of Keelung City, after spending two days in a cetacean rehabilitation center. The one male and two female rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) were reported stranded on Waizaiwei Beach on the morning of February 9. Personnel from the New Taipei City Government Animal Protection Department, Coast Guard, and Taiwan Cetacean Society responded to the report. Due to bad weather and

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Live leatherback turtle found stranded on beach entangled in fishing nets

stranded turtle entangled in discarded fishing nets
Animals Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A live leatherback turtle was sent to National Taiwan Ocean University for medical treatment after being found stranded on New Taipei City beach yesterday, February 1. Coast Guard personnel were dispatched to Fulong Beach in Gongliao District after National Coast Guard Administration received reports of a large sea turtle seen entangled in discarded fishing nets and stranded on the beach at around 10:00 am. Coast Guard officers found the animal to be a leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), a species

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Taiwanese white dolphin in critical danger of extinction: threats to habitat increasing

coast guard officers with dead dolphin
Animals Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

Marine conservationists sounded a warning that the Taiwanese white dolphin is seriously threatened with extinction during a press conference held by environmental protection groups at the Legislative Yuan following the discovery of a dead dolphin on Taiwan’s west coast last week. Experts in the field of marine biology pointed out that there were only about 60 individuals left of the only subspecies of dolphin endemic to Taiwan (Sousa chinensis taiwanensis). After being first described in 2002, the Taiwanese white dolphin was

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False killer whale rushed to rescue center after beaching on northeast coast

composite image of beached whale rescue and rehabilitation facility
Animals Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Marine conservationists are working in shifts in an attempt to keep a dolphin alive after it was found stranded on a beach at Su’ao in Yilan County, yesterday, November 17. The false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), which is actually a species of oceanic dolphin, was reported stranded at around noon. Coast Guard officers and a veterinarian went to the scene to evaluate the dolphin’s condition and provide assistance. After examining the animal the coast guard and volunteers from the Taiwan

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Whale shark rescued after stranding on Green Island

whale shark stranded on Green Island, Taiwan
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

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

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Plastic garbage found in stomach of dead, pregnant whale

garbage found in belly of whale
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

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

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Giant Manta Rays Caught and Killed: Captain Identified

two giant manta rays are seen at a fishmarket in Kaohsiung
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

The captain of a Taiwan fishing vessel will face a fine after failing to report the capture and deaths of 2 giant manta rays, which are listed as a vulnerable species by International Union for Conservation of Nature. Photos of the bloodied carcases of the manta rays laid on the ground at a fish market in Kaohsiung began to circulate on social media January 1, and were widely reported in Taiwan’s media January 3. Police interviewed the owner of a

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Marine Volunteers Celebrate 200th Clean-up Operation

A volunteer extracts a tangled mass of fishing line from a reef in southern Taiwan
Environment 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

A team of scuba divers who started efforts to clean up the marine environment around XiaoLiuqiu Island six years ago, celebrated their 200th expedition with an exhibition to draw attention to the problem of discarded waste in the ocean. Increasing numbers of green sea turtles returning to Xiaoliuqiu to breed, has made them feel their efforts have not been in vain. Yesterday, April 19, the team launched an exhibition that includes photographs of their underwater endeavors, and displays of various

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