In fact, today the land-locked Taiwan brook masu salmon is not the only one in danger of extinction. Because salmon live in large numbers at sea, they have become a favorite food for many people. But this fish, a can of which can be procured for a few US dollars, is now facing eradication.

Statistics indicate that the number of salmon in the sea is today only one twentieth of what it once was. Recently an American congressman called on citizens to be more concerned about ensuring sustainable use of salmon resources.

In that case, is it possible that artificial propagation and large-scale pisciculture can compensate for the declining number of salmon?

Sadly, the situation is exactly the reverse. One of the reasons for the drop in the number of salmon is that salmon raised by people have adversely affected the genes of those in nature. In the United States, many cultivated salmon have made it into the open sea and mated with those in the wild, weakening the latter's resistance to disease.

Tai Yung-ti, an associate professor at the National Pingtung Polytechnic Institute, wrote his doctoral dissertation on the salmon. He points out that recently there have been many disputes overseas about the wisdom of artificial propagation of salmon, and many people have begun to reassess such activity.

This is the reason why Taiwan's Wildlife Conservation Law stipulates that there should not be large scale raising of animals which have been reduced to only small numbers in the wild. This is because those in the wild cannot afford any more weakening of their gene pool, so that it is necessary to prevent any animals raised in captivity from being released into the wild.

Of course, if the targets for expansion of the wild salmon population are reached, there are regulations governing the raising of animals which, strictly applied, should prevent artificially propagated animals from getting mixed into the species in the wild. Of course then it would be fine to take a few samples from nature for research into artificial propagation.

But at the present time the number of brook masu salmon is very limited. If some are taken to attempt artificial propagation, and the attempt fails, then this "national treasure" of a fish will pay the price.

Yet, even if artificial propagation were to succeed, there is a great difference in meaning between fish raised by humans and those that thrive in the wild. Those in nature have much greater adaptability to disease and to the environment. Those raised in fish ponds are weaker, and need frequent infusions of fish from nature in order to upgrade their quality.

Fish in nature also serve other missions besides providing for the dining table. For example, appropriate amounts of fishing can be permitted for those species with stable populations, providing recreation. Wild animals are also the best materials for teaching about one's own land and about the environment. What's more, animals are an important indicator of the quality of the environment of human life.

Therefore, restoration of a species in the wild is very different from artificial propagation. Although the former requires the latter, the goal of restoration is to stabilize the animal population in its natural surroundings, and to preserve the gene pool. Artificial propagation is just a first step in the process of restoration.

Obviously, then, from the above discussion it is clear that the work of restoration for the Taiwan brook masu salmon has only just begun.