Zhang Daiping, Ye Zhenzhong Taiwan Public TV
Have you noticed that the price of clams in Taiwan has skyrocketed this year. In the past, clams that cost 6 or 70 yuan per catty have now risen to more than 100 yuan per catty. About twice as much as before. From Changhua to Yunlin, a large number of people died suddenly, and the farmers wailed. What kind of environmental crisis is behind this clam catastrophe?
Early in the morning, the workers pulled the harvester in the clam pond, and the women on the shore were busy sorting and taking care of them for a year. Finally, the clams were harvested, but the fishermen's faces showed no joy of harvest, only voices of helplessness. More than 90% of the collected clams have opened their shells, and they can only be dumped aside as waste, and the whole year's hard work has been wasted.
More than 90% of the clams collected this year have opened their shells, and they can only be dumped aside as waste, wasting all their efforts.
The endless coastline from Changhua to Tainan , which is an important town for clam farming. Walking into the breeding area, piles of dead clam shells are piled up on the side of the road, like modern shell mounds. Hong Qingshan, a breeder in Fangyuan Township, Changhua County, started raising clams in his 20s. He has been raising clams for more than 40 years and has never encountered such a tragic situation as this year.
Not only in Changhua, Yunlin Mailiao and Taixi on the south bank of Zhuoshui River , the clam industry has almost disappeared this year. Many fishermen suspect that the pollution of industrial areas is an important reason for the death of meretrix meretrix.
Walking into the breeding area, piles of dead clam shells piled up on the side of the road, like modern shell mounds.
There is a lack of long-term and complete investigation data on whether clam growth is related to industrial pollution. Chen Junru, director of the Fisheries Research Institute, believes that the reasons for the death of clams are complex. On the one hand, it is because of frequent extreme weather in recent years, high temperature and sudden heavy rain, which makes clams unbearable. Another reason may be related to the breeding density. The breeding density in Changhua and Yunlin Taixi is relatively high, and the mortality rate of Meretrix meretrix has been relatively high in the past two years.
Fishermen believe that environmental degradation is the main cause of death of Meretrix meretrix. Observing the environment around the Changhua breeding area, all the farmers use seawater from the same large row and drain it. There are pig farms, chicken farms, and underground factories nearby, and all sewage is discharged into the large row. The stench bursts, and the water quality makes people shake their heads.
Fishermen believe that environmental degradation is the main cause of death of Meretrix meretrix.
South of Yunlinkou Lake, because the environment is relatively good, water changes are easy, and Yunlinkou Lake has the only seawater supply station in the southwestern coast, which can coordinate the supply of clean seawater in Xialun area. This year, the clam mortality rate has dropped significantly. Fishermen appeal to the government to build additional seawater supply stations and expand the scope of seawater supply. This will not only improve the water quality of fish farms and reduce losses for fishermen, but also reduce the pumping of groundwater.
Currently, the Water Test Institute is conducting experiments on clam cultivation in the research center in Taixi. The main method is to inject chlorine dioxide every week for disinfection and sterilization, and regularly check the status of the sediment. Whether it is successful or not will be revealed when it is harvested next year.
According to official statistics, in 2014, the production value of Meretrix meretrix reached 5 billion (about 1.1 billion RMB), which is an important source of livelihood for coastal residents. If the general environment continues to deteriorate and fishermen abandon their farming one after another, clam farming may eventually collapse.
In 2104, the output value of meretrix meretrix farming reached 5 billion, which is an important source of livelihood for coastal residents.
In the context of environmental degradation, what are the ways for farmers to save themselves? Huang Fenxiang, who breeds black golden clams in Chigu Lagoon, Tainan, uses low-density, ecological farming, hoping to cultivate the ability of clams to resist adversity. After years of exploration, Huang Fenxiang has established a symbiosis farming model of meretrix meretrix, grass shrimp, milkfish , and grouper. In addition, it is located in Qigu lagoon with good water quality, and the breeding rate of meretrix meretrix has reached 90%. In Yunlinkou Lake, Mr. Lu used the ecological farming model, and the clams grew relatively smoothly.
Compared with other aquaculture, shellfish farming does not need to use a lot of bait, which is a more sustainable farming method. Academia Sinica scholar Shao Guangzhao and others once wrote a seafood selection guide for Taiwan, in which shellfish are among the best aquatic products recommended for consumption. For example, clams can not only purify water quality, but also convert carbon dioxide dissolved in water into a calcium carbonate shell during the growth process, which has a carbon-fixing effect.
Academia Sinica scholar Shao Guangzhaoet al once wrote a seafood selection guide for Taiwan, among which the recommended aquatic products and shellfish are among the best.
Facing climate change, Meretrix meretrix has played an important role in sequestering and reducing carbon, but when extreme weather strikes, it is also the first to suffer. The havoc faced by Meretrix meretrix highlights the deterioration of the coastal environment, government neglect and lack of infrastructure. Can this long-established industry continue to survive? Looking at the piles of empty shells in front of them, the fishermen are still looking for hope in the boundless waves.
※ This article is reproduced from PTV Our Island [Clam Desolation and Panic]