Planting the seeds of destruction
The Wuling Farm, which promotes high-altitude fruit and vegetable farming, and is also located next to the Chichiawan Stream, has long been criticized because its unrestrained exploitation of slope land has shortened the life expectancy of the reservoirs. But because VACRS operations are closely tied to the lives of military veterans, the problems caused by the farm have been difficult to resolve. After the Council of Agriculture listed the Chichiawan Stream as a protected ecological area, it was stipulated that no agricultural activity should be permitted within 30 meters of its banks. But VACRS, which runs the farm, has demanded a large amount of money to allow those now farming in the area to change professions. The impasse remains unresolved.
Though this is the most expensive species restoration program in Taiwan's history, compared to funding for other types of construction in Taiwan, conservation appropriations are grossly inadequate. Add to this that the agencies involved all look after their own priorities first, and the result is that the salmon restoration project can deal only with the symptoms, not the fundamental problems.
In the Japanese occupation era, there was a 300-meter wide protective belt on both sides of the river in order to insulate the river against manmade pollution. Today, orchards and rows of vegetable plants are less than 10 meters from the stream's edge.
These days, you can see mud pouring continuously from the cultivated land into both sides of the Chichiawan Stream. The water is filled with silt, greatly reducing the oxygen permeability. In addition, chemical fertilizers from the farm have caused an overgrowth in the algae on the rocks. As a consequence, both the rate at which eggs are produced and the rate at which the eggs hatch have been in decline.
Powerless
Since 1985, this most costly restoration project in the history of the Republic of China has produced seven specialists with doctorates or master's degrees, more than 20 studies, and the foundations for a biological data bank. How sad, then, that it will all prove useless so long as the changes in the environment continue unchecked.
"I have found out from this process that I am powerless to stop this disaster from happening. So when you ask about the fate of this fish, I more or less know what is coming," concludes Tai Yung-ti. He is grateful enough that today, only ten years after conservation was unknown to the general public, one could go to jail for catching protected fish, and he doesn't dare hope for too much all at once.
In fact, the problem of the salmon reflects the larger issue of inefficient use of land and water resources. Although every agency working in the Chichiawan Stream watershed has its particular mission to fulfill, use and management of the steep slopes along the upstream portion of the Chichiawan should not be overly diversified. This is because it is not the area with the highest economic output value. If efforts are made to simultaneously develop agriculture, recreation, and electricity generation, then the salmon must be sacrificed.
Wu Hsiang-chien, the chief of the Conservation Division at the Shei-Pa National Park, takes a different perspective in looking at the development of the Tachia River. "Even if there were no fish, it would still be necessary to halt development of the upstream portion of the Tachia River, because the river takes care of the two million people in the greater Taichung metropolitan area." The protection of the river, and of the salmon, will in the end most benefit people.
Fillet of soul
The Tachia River, flowing between blue skies and green peaks, is the water source for Taichung City. "The water the people of Taichung drink originates in the home of these fish, so there is a little of the soul of the salmon in every living being in Taichung," suggests James Wang, who is today an associate professor in the Graduate Institute of Environmental Education at National Normal University. If it is impossible for a few small fish to survive in the upstream portion of the river, this means that everyone's quality of life must be declining.
As with the air and water, the fate of the salmon is a symptom of the human quality of life. Only if the salmon is able to remain healthy and survive can the quality of human life be raised. Taiwan has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars cleaning up the downstream sections of many of its rivers. If it proves impossible to save the salmon, it will only be a matter of time before cleanup work will have to move up the mountains.
Today it is this precious national fish, tomorrow it will be another creature. If we allow our own rare species to pass away in this generation, then saving the rhino or the elephant will mean little more than good public relations work. Like a row of dominoes, Taiwan's own animals will fall one after another.
"After a decade of study, it is no longer a matter of theory for the salmon. The moment of decision-- life or death--is upon us," says James Wang, who is at once pessimistic and hopeful. This precious fish has survived countless disasters over a million years, but these few years will decide whether it can continue on. If the Chichiawan Stream is to be the fount of life for the salmon, the problem of development in the mountains must be resolved as quickly as possible.
Today the salmon, tomorrow the world
Today the salmon is in the "intensive care unit." Everyone must be patient, and reduce interference to a minimum. When conservation has proved successful, then further development can be discussed.
Wang, still refusing to admit defeat, says that if VACRS insists on getting its money before it stops cultivation in the area, then more money should be spent on behalf of the salmon. "What is it that Taiwan can be proud of? What do tourists come here to see? The Taiwan salmon, unique in the world, is indubitably of great value."
But he also knows that it will be very difficult for the salmon to recover, and that extraordinary measures are called for. Many people will have to appeal for its life. Only through policy changes and negotiations can the production situation along the banks of the river be altered.
Today restoration work is in its second decade. The salmon were the main reason for the establishment of the country's fifth national park (the Shei-Pa National Park) by the Ministry of the Interior.
National parks are founded for the purposes of conservation and environmental education. It is hoped that the management of the resources of the Tachia River can be simplified , with top priority being given to preserving the diversity of species, so that the Tachia River can begin to breathe easier and recover its strength.
The battle over the brook masu salmon is an important milestone in the history of ecological conservation in Taiwan. In this process the public, government agencies, and the environmentalist community are all learning the logic of sustainable development, and are coming to understand how to save a creature which is struggling on the edge of extinction.
"Although they have lived here much longer than we have, it is uncertain whether they will be able to survive us," says Wang. This is an issue that all the people of this piece of the earth must face.
The question is whether or not people will be able to clean up the mess we have created. Perhaps the salmon is the best chance to learn how.
[Picture Caption]
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After ten years of restoration work, the academic community has accumulated a rich supply of information about the habitat of the brook masu salmon. But the habitat itself continues to deteriorate.
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Lack of coordination among government units has made it difficult to improve the salmon's environment. Though beautiful, the fish faces an uncertain future. (photo courtesy of Shei-Pa National Park)
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The brook masu salmon needs different types of habitats as it grows. Eggs are usually laid in places where the water is shallow and the current is gentle, where the eggs will sink easily and lodge between rocks. Fry, on the other hand, tend to select dark places, in order to avoid predators. (photo courtesy of Shei-Pa National Park)
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The salmon has been a victim of high altitude agriculture. Yet people are even more the losers. (photo by Vincent Chang)
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Although sand retention dams are devastating to the salmon, they cannot be removed carelessly, or a second disaster could result.
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The success of the restoration program cannot be judged by the number of fish alone. The by-product of environmental education is even more important in the long run. The photo is of Liao Man-ying, a guide at Shei-Pa National Park, explaining to visitors about the crisis faced by the salmon.