CLIMATE CHANGE CONCERN: The shrimp’s movement to cooler waters north of Kaohsiung could lead to its disappearance from Taiwan’s coast a researcher said/ Staff writer 《TAIPEI TIMES》 Global warming could drive shrimp away: study - 焦點 - - 趣味新聞網

National Sun Yat-sen University’s Department of Oceanography professor Chen Meng-hsien, front center, poses with her research team in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of National Sun Yat-sen University

CLIMATE CHANGE CONCERN: The shrimp’s movement to cooler waters north of Kaohsiung could lead to its disappearance from Taiwan’s coast, a researcher said

/ Staff writer, with CNA

The once abundant coral shrimp, known for its pronounced umami flavor and succulent, juicy texture, has migrated 55km north of coastal waters near Kaohsiung due to global warming, a research team has found.

Coral shrimp was previously a major catch for fishers operating in the area between Kaohsiung’s Cieding （茄萣） and Zuoying （左營） districts, but has gradually faded from residents’ memories, National Sun Yat-sen University’s Department of Oceanography professor Chen Meng-hsien （陳孟仙） said.

During the team’s surveys in 2019, they found the shrimp north of Tainan’s Cigu District （七股）, concentrating in waters off Wanggong （王功） in Changhua County, said Chen, who led the research team.

Records from that year from the shrimp’s original habitat of Cieding indicated only sporadic sightings, she said.

The boundary offsetting the two maritime areas largely conformed to the southernmost point to which the cold coastal currents originating in waters off China’s east coast travel, she said.

The researchers’ findings suggested that the shrimp had migrated north about 55.5km to an area characterized by lower water temperatures of under 25oC.

This area is where subtropical shrimp such as the Parapenaeopsis sinica is found, Chen said.

Waters south of Cieding are passed by the Kuroshio Current and the South China Sea Warm Current, and are inhabited by tropical shrimp such as velvet shrimp species, she said.

Data compiled in 2002 and 2003 showed that the coral shrimp could readily be found in waters off Cieding, and its population in the area likely started to shrink between then and 2019, she said.

Chen said that the migration could ultimately lead to the shrimp’s disappearance from Taiwan’s coastal waters, and that researchers should pay attention to changes in the number of sea creatures in offshore areas.

People should refrain from using gillnets when catching shrimp, so that fry can have a chance to grow into adults and breed, she said.

Coupled with moratoriums in the wake of climate change, this would create a win-win situation for sustainable fisheries and the preservation of marine animals, Chen said.

新聞來源： TAIPEI TIMES

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