Formosan landlocked salmon eggs. Photo courtesy of Shei-Pa National Park Headquarters
Taipei, Jan. 18 (CNA) Efforts to boost the population of Taiwan's once critically endangered Formosan landlocked salmon have been a huge success, with the species' numbers reaching a record high in recent years, a national park official said Thursday.
According to Liao Lin-yan (廖林彥), an official at Shei-Pa National Park Headquarters, the population of the indigenous salmon went from around 200 in 1995 to a record high of more than 15,000 in 2022, leading to a significant reduction in the risk of extinction.
The endemic subspecies of salmon, a "glacial relict" left behind in Taiwan after the last Ice Age, is found only in freshwater streams at elevations above 1,500 meters.
Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) visited the Formosan landlocked salmon gene bank at Shei-Pa National Park on an inspection tour Thursday morning. She was guided by Liao and also fed some of the salmon.
While working to revive the salmon population, waterless transport has been utilized to send zygotes to areas at higher altitudes, Liao said, adding that this made a huge contribution to the success of the program.
Lu thanked everyone's for their effort, revealing that she reported on the program when she was a journalist.
Liao said the National Park is planning on setting up a center where people can learn more about the revival of the Formosan landlocked salmon population and related work.
The total number of the salmon species in Taiwan is estimated at 15,374, with large populations in Qijiawan River and Hehuan Creek, and smaller populations in Luoyewei Creek, Yousheng Creek, Nanhu Creek, and Bilu Creek, according to the park's latest survey conducted in 2022.
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