At the end of January, the first-ever manmade fish sanctuary will open on the Chichiawan Stream, home of the brook masu salmon. The so-called sanctuary is simply three deep pools. Nevertheless, under current conditions, in which the fish of the Chichiawan have nowhere to hide from typhoons or heavy rains and are often washed downstream, these three manmade pools have deep significance.

Much ado about something

The Shei-Pa National Park was established two years ago, and it took over the brook masu salmon restoration plan. The direction of efforts to rescue the salmon has changed from the previous focus on breeding to working to improve its natural environment. In particular, several steps have been taken to restore the ecology around the Chichiawan Stream, the only place where these salmon are still to be found, in order to make their homes more secure and to better guarantee their survival.

Besides building the deep pools, the staff is also trying a "restoration of original plant life" along the banks of the waterway. It is planting anew the deciduous forest that once grew naturally on both banks. The leaves of this forest used to fall into the water and become mulch, protecting the stream. The fish eat insects which come to feed on and break down the fallen leaves, so that the presence of the trees insures a plentiful food supply for the salmon.

Moreover, the brook masu salmon does best in water which is "clear but not too clear, muddy but not too muddy." James Wang, an ecologist now working in environmental education, explains that the decaying leaves insure that the water will not be too clear (devoid of nutrients). Yet they do not provide too many nutrients, so avoid the problem currently being faced today: The runoff of fertilizers from the Wuling Farm into the stream is causing an overgrowth of algae, making the water turbid and affecting fish growth.

A restoration of the original plant life would also bring the waterway back under protective shade, keeping the water at a suitable temperature and saving the fish from harm caused by rising water temperatures.

Can't be moved? Dam!

The national park also plans to undo the changes made by the seven sand retention dams along the Chichiawan. Using simple materials like wood or boulders, they will build some pools and rapids in places where siltation has made the current too gentle and too straight. In fact, if those who built the dams in the first place had simply given a little thought to the environment, the dams could have had a completely different impact.

Once an environment has been destroyed, it is hard to restore it to its original condition. Today, the problem cannot be resolved simply be removing the sand retention dams. Now there is little vegetation around the dams. If the dams are removed in a single stroke, the piles of soil and stone would collapse, burying the downstream pools and creating whole new problems. Therefore it is first necessary to do field research and to calculate the amount of sand on the dams before making any decision.

"A dead horse cannot be brought back to life." Therefore the national park will start by removing a sand retention dam from a nearby stream. If the impact on the environment is too severe, then the dams on the Chichiawan will not be removed for now. James Wang suggests that it may even be necessary to dismantle the dams one meter at a time, perhaps at the rate of one meter per year. As in treating a seriously ill person, surgery must only be undertaken with the greatest care.

Also, those taking down the dams must know what they are doing. Perhaps scholars or students could be brought in to remove the dams stone by stone, rather than using land movers to try to get rid of the problem all at once. What's done is done, but those about to rectify past errors have no desire to commit errors of their own. In fact ecologists are themselves learning through the restoration process. It is not by money or the number of fish that the fruits of the project should be judged, but by the even more important function of environmental education.

More reasons to worry

Scholars hope that the Chichiawan Stream can be preserved so that it can serve as a gene pool for the precious Taiwan brook masu salmon.

Most of the first batch of bred fish, released into the water six years ago, had brief lives, and even today many people feel sorry about this disaster. Nevertheless, the second generation of salmon is growing up in the same breeding pond where their forebears stayed. Having learned some lessons from their previous failure in releasing the fish, researchers have selected a different spot for release this time. Scholars have been assiduously scouting around for appropriate alternative waterways to serve as new release locations.

If the salmon can be released in other streams as well, not only will this improve the species' chances for survival, it can also avoid the problem of declining resistance to disease which can be caused by inadequate diversity in the gene pool.

Moreover, if the larger environment cannot be improved, even if the little setting of the Chichiawan Stream can be repaired, it still will only support a limited number of fish. It is unlikely that the brook masu salmon conservation area will once again be extended to 300 meters out from both banks, as it was in the Japanese occupation era. But the national park authorities do plan to ban all development within 60 meters of both banks in the preserve for this "national treasure" fish.

All in all, Shei-Pa National Park has already adopted more than 20 tasks for the restoration of the brook masu salmon. But many people are concerned that the pace of implementation will not be fast enough for the preservation of this species. Regardless, "protection of the fish's habitat is absolutely one of the primary tasks for the future," says Wu Hsiang-chien, chief of the park's Conservation Division.

Perhaps it is hopeless to aspire to restore the salmon population in the whole Tachia River watershed, but at least a small refuge is being built for this national treasure. As James Wang puts it, "Even if these are their last few years on earth, at least they can live with dignity."

Perhaps some people might find this way of thinking and acting a bit quixotic, but this spirit is the most basic requirement of conservation work. In fact, building a warm and loving home for the salmon can teach people how to respect other forms of life, and in this way offer hope to countless other creatures.

[Picture Caption]

p.54

The brook masu salmon have been here longer than we have, but will they be able to survive us? (courtesy of Shei-Pa National Park)