Ho Hsuan-ching, an assistant researcher at National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in Kenting, southern Taiwan, said he spotted the fish while sorting through a pile of specimens set for use in a teaching workshop.
“It was an accident,” Ho said. “I purchased the fish from a local Hengchun market for showing school teachers how to prepare specimens.”
According to Ho, he knew the fish must have been a kind of sandsmelt as soon as he saw its shape and color. “The pinkish fish is about 20 centimeters in length and usually appears in the Indo-West Pacific running from the Persian Gulf to the continental shelf of Asia, the Philippines, Indonesia and northwestern Australia,” he said.
“This was the first time for it to be sighted in Taiwan, far north of its original habitat,” he said, adding that it is more commonly seen in India and Vietnam.
Taiwan serves as breeding ground for four new fish species and two recently recorded species of sandsmelt, Ho said. “Out of 80 sandsmelt species in the world, 29 have been spotted in Taiwan, accounting for roughly one-third of the fish.”
Kenting National Park, located at the southern tip of Taiwan and filled with coral reefs, is a perfect marine biology research area. But it faces numerous environmental challenges that are taking their toll on the park’s rarefied status, according to Ho.
“Although the park has been promoting environmental education and aggressively enforcing related regulations, incidences of illegal spear fishing are reportedly still taking place,” he said.
“Conservation of ocean resources needs to be taken more seriously otherwise we may soon begin seeing fewer fish in the sea.” (SSC-JSM)
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