As conservation awareness continues to grow, we are thrilled to see more and more divers getting involved in fish stocking and ocean cleanup activities. But when you take part in these events, are you truly being environmentally friendly — or are you unknowingly harming the ocean?
In this article, we share the essential concepts that every participant should understand before taking part in either a fish stocking or an ocean cleanup activity.
Fish Stocking
These days it's common to see news reports about Buddhist groups releasing animals, only for large numbers of them to die shortly afterward. When the causes are investigated, the findings are jaw-dropping.
- Releasing freshwater fish into the sea
- Tying crabs' legs before throwing them into the ocean — reportedly because untying them would allow the crabs to "kill and eat small fish"
- Releasing non-native species, a common example being the artificially hybridized dragon-tiger Grouper
- Even more egregious: releasing cobras, simply because people believe that a snake's form resembles a dragon and will therefore accumulate more good karma
To any outside observer, all of the above amounts to an ecological catastrophe. Setting aside the question of religious belief — whether such releases truly accumulate merit — aren't these very acts causing harm in the here and now?
In fact, the Fisheries Agency, local fishermen's associations, and county and city governments across Taiwan have long allocated budgets for fish stocking activities as part of broader seed stock restoration programs. If Buddhist groups could be brought on board as partners in the future, guided by correct concepts of responsible fish stocking, the practice could both help sustain the diversity of Taiwan's marine seed stock and fulfil the Buddhist community's mission — a true win-win for everyone.
So how do you plan a fish stocking activity based on sound principles? We drew on the Keelung City Government's operational guidelines to offer the following recommendations:
1. Source from licensed hatcheries and choose species with zero drug residue
2. Stock only locally native species — below are common stocking species and their recommended regions
Recommended release species across Taiwan
3. Carefully evaluate and select a habitat suited to the species being released
For example, as shown in the video, abalone (九孔) thrive on reef flats within 10 m depth where sunlight is abundant; sandy terrain cannot provide a suitable environment, whereas ample sunlight ensures a steady supply of algae for them to feed on. The season and timing of a release are equally important. It is recommended to time releases to coincide with the season when natural juvenile fish appear in large numbers — for instance, juvenile fish along the Northeast Coast appear in abundance from March to May, making this an ideal period for stocking broodstock. Midday releases should be avoided, as intense sunlight lowers dissolved oxygen levels in the water, leading to stocking failures.
4. Submit a release application form to the central Fisheries Agency and local government
The Keelung City Government application form can be found at: https://reurl.cc/7XgrG9. In addition, collaborating with academic institutions allows their professional expertise to be used for tracking the outcomes of each release event — so that every stocking activity goes beyond a photo opportunity and delivers genuine, measurable benefits to the environment.
Ocean Cleanup Activities
Friends interested in ocean cleanup can refer to this article: 【Diving with Datou Shi】How to Organise a Safe Underwater Ocean Cleanup Event. Ocean cleanup activities are not particularly difficult to organise, but they do come with real challenges. The following three foundational concepts must be established beforehand.
- Personal neutral buoyancy must be 100% solid
- Be familiar with local water conditions, so that if separated from the group you can return to shore independently or ascend using a surface marker buoy (SMB)
- Divide into groups and confirm assignments in advance; always ensure at least one person is monitoring all team members
Most importantly, a pre-event site survey is essential. Beyond confirming that the cleanup site is safe for diving, there is another critical consideration: there needs to be enough marine debris for participants to collect. After all, for a voluntary, self-motivated event like this, giving everyone a genuine sense of participation matters — and the amount of rubbish available to pick up plays a bigger role than you might think!
Cover photo: CoCo
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