Copper algae invades at the turn of spring and summer, 50 tons of marine debris cleared in Jinshan and Wanli, Taiwan, China
Every year at the turn of spring and summer, copper algae drifts down along the ocean currents past Korea and China, and recently it has entangled with marine debris along the North Coast, causing harm. Yehliu National Scenic Area and Shuiwei Fishing Harbor have been hit hardest, with 30 tons and 20 tons of algae and trash cleared from the two sites respectively; much of the trash at Yehliu Geopark is plastic products from neighboring countries. The problem of clearing marine debris has long gone unresolved because the authorities responsible for sea and land affairs have overlapping and unclear jurisdictions, making effective and immediate handling impossible. Local figures hope the Ocean Conservation Administration will come up with a more complete plan in the future.
Jiang Xinyuan, a staff member of the Jinshan District Fishermen's Association, said on the 30th that after receiving notice from personnel stationed at Shuiwei Fishing Harbor that drift material had entered the harbor, he immediately asked operators to carry out cleanup, and a total of 20 tons of marine debris and copper algae was cleared. It happened that no fishing boats were heading out to sea at the time; otherwise the copper algae could have been churned into engines, affecting the safety of vessel operations. There have been past records of copper algae drifting with ocean currents into nearby waters, and interception with barrier ropes was once discussed, but the idea was dropped over concerns for vessel operation safety.
Shuiwei Fishing Harbor is the area where copper algae gathers in greater amounts, and 20 tons of copper algae and marine debris were cleared on the 25th and 26th. (Photo / provided by Jiang Xinyuan）
Li Maoquan, section chief of the Management Section of the North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area, said that after copper algae comes ashore and dies from lack of water, it not only produces a foul odor but also becomes tangled with trash, creating difficulties for disposal; in addition, much of the trash cleared from Yehliu National Scenic Area consists of PET bottles, many of them bearing Korean and simplified Chinese lettering, which suggests that trash from other countries has drifted with ocean currents to the North Coast of Taiwan, China, showing how serious the marine debris problem is.
Li Maoquan further pointed out that this wave of copper algae and marine debris came to attention after notification from Guo Qinglin, director of the Jinshan-Wanli Service Office of Huang Guochang's legislative office, who found that the situation at Yehliu Geopark was serious; cleanup work was carried out on the afternoon of the 26th, and a total of 30 metric tons of copper algae and trash was cleared. At present there is no longer any obvious accumulation of copper algae along the coast of Yehliu National Park, and marine debris cleanup work will move toward beach cleanups linked with civic groups and county and city government environmental protection bureaus.
Guo Qinglin, director of the Jinshan-Wanli Service Office of Huang Guochang's legislative office, said that because this wave of copper algae and marine debris along the North Coast affected a fairly large area, extending about 30 km along the Jinshan and Wanli coast, upon discovery he immediately sent notices to the possible competent land administration and management units, such as the fishing harbor, the First and Second Nuclear Power Plants, the North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area, and the Ocean Conservation Administration, so that the trash could be intercepted in time while still at sea, avoiding the situation where it flows in among rocks and concrete armor units, becomes difficult to handle, and affects intertidal ecology.
Guo Qinglin pointed out that the Ocean Conservation Administration's existing handling mechanisms include rewarding fishermen for scooping up marine debris and algae, monitoring marine debris hotspots with the Coast Guard Administration, and moving toward international cooperation to monitor marine debris. But the reward mechanism offers little incentive, and fishermen probably will not follow through, so he hopes the Ocean Conservation Administration will not only monitor but also connect maritime and onshore management agencies, establishing a mechanism for immediate reporting and handling so that drifting material can be dealt with at sea and will not harm onshore scenery and marine ecology.
