Taiwan Today

The lovable clown fish Nemo may be an international star following the hit film “Finding Nemo,” but in Taiwan, his species is at the center of a potentially lucrative breeding industry with marine conservation applications. The Eastern Marine Biology Research Center of the Fisheries Research Institute under the Council of Agriculture, which is involved in the artificial breeding of clown fish, has 13 breeding technologies in place that it hopes to transfer to the private sector and create an NT$100 million (US$3.04 million) business. The institute recently opened its Clown Fish Fry Model Hatchery in central Taiwan’s Chenggong Township, Taitung County. The brains behind this world-class facility include EMBRC associate researchers Chen Wen-yi, He Yuan-xing, Shi Sheng-zhong and Zheng Ming-zhong. According to He Yuan-xing, the center began research and development of artificial clown fish breeding techniques in 2002 and has firmly established breeding procedures for 13 of the world’s 28 species of clown fish. It has also succeeded in creating hybrid clown fish such as the Gui Gongzi and Australian and Solomon Islands Sebae. He Yuan-xing said colorful marine creatures are greatly appreciated in Europe, Japan and the United States. In Denmark, the United Kingdom and the United States, clown fish breeding is commercial in scope and the necessary techniques are considered business secrets, the associate researcher added. The EMBRC built its hatchery with a subsidy from Taiwan’s National Science Council and joint private-sector investment. Once operations begin this year, technology transfers to 10 private sector firms are anticipated. Based on annual production of 250,000 clown fish, over NT$100 million in business is expected to be generated annually. He Yuan-xing stated that survival rates for artificially bred clown fish are much higher than those in the wild. This can produce savings in terms of reduced fishing manpower and breeding costs. Those in the traditional fishing industry no longer have to depend on the natural elements for a living and can transform their business models. This will create a “win-win situation” for both the environment and industry, the associate researcher said.