Status, problems and prospects of stock enhancement in Taiwan

Stock enhancement started in Taiwan with the building and casting of artificial reefs in 1973. It was only in late 1987, however, that an integrated program on the operation and establishment of a stock enhancement system was developed. In addition to building artificial reefs and establishing resource protection zones to create fishing grounds, the current stock enhancement program in Taiwan aims at restocking broodstock and fry or seeds. So far, seven species of finfish, four species of mollusks, and six species of crustaceans have been restocked. A total of 5.8 million finfish fry, 5 million molluskan seeds, and 30 million crustacean larvae with some eel and prawn broodstocks have been released up to 1996. Although there are plans to establish sea-farming centers in Taiwan, the organization of the system has not been established completely. Furthermore, regulations on resource augmentation, protection and management of coastal fisheries and stock enhancement are absent or lacking. The success of stock enhancement depends on the pollution control that is in place in coastal areas and the fishermen‘s awareness of the importance of resource conservation and their involvement. The paper discusses the status,problems and prospects of stock enhancement in Taiwan, with some viewpoints in population genetics. It also refers to some experience in Japanese sea-farming. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.