Hualien town office sparks controversy by keeping non-native fish

Taipei, May 12 (CNA) The Yuli Township Office in Hualien County has sparked controversy after introducing 150 non-native fish into a local park pond as part of a campaign to enhance the area's biodiversity.

In a social media post Sunday, the township office announced that it had recently introduced koi fish and red Nile tilapia to the pond to create a more appealing recreational environment.

The post sparked a backlash, however, with most of the 300 comments criticizing the move.

The post followed the deletion of an earlier Facebook statement in which the office said that keeping the two non-native species could "boost biodiversity."

One commenter responded: "You deleted the post because you were criticized for claiming these non-native fish can enrich biodiversity ... You're not fooling us."

Other comments argued that the office should have consulted ecological experts to avoid adversely affecting the local ecosystem.

Speaking to CNA on Monday, Yuli Township chief Kung Wen-chung (龔文俊) pushed back at the criticism, saying that both species of fish came from Hualien's Aquaculture Breeding Institute and were genetically improved varieties that would not harm the environment.

Koi fish, for instance, consume the eggs of golden apple snails -- an invasive species known for damaging crops -- while red Nile tilapia is a common aquaculture species widely found in ponds and rivers across Taiwan, Kung said.

The township also kept red Nile tilapia in 2018, only for visitors to fish them out, prompting the office to now request that the public refrain from fishing in the pond, Kung said.

Huang Wen-bin (黃文彬), a professor at National Dong Hwa University's College of Environmental Studies and Oceanography, told CNA by phone that from an ecological perspective alone, introducing non-endemic species into the wild is inappropriate.

He commended Yuli Township, however, for its desire to create a more attractive environment for visitors, but said heavy rain or flooding could allow the fish to escape and affect other ecosystems.

Yet, Huang did not feel they were unlikely to threaten native species because their vibrant colors made them easy targets for predators, making it hard for them to survive in the wild.