The mud shrimp (Austinogebia edulis), known in Taiwanese as "shrimp monkey" (蝦猴), has a body divided into a cephalothorax and abdomen, with a triangular rostrum and five pairs of walking legs. Males are larger in size, while females are more slender. The peak spawning season runs from November through March of the following year; females incubate their eggs externally by brooding them on their bodies.
Mud shrimp are euryhaline arthropods that love to burrow, living in sandy-mud tunnels and typically inhabiting environments that are half-mud and half-sand. They occupy U-shaped burrows of their own digging — one opening serves as a water inlet, the other as an outlet. They feed by generating a current through the U-shaped tunnel to draw in diatoms and planktonic organisms, then use the setae on their walking legs to filter food and direct it into their mouths.
The mud shrimp is an iconic species of Taiwan's west coast
Marine Protected Area Habitat Under Threat
Land reclamation projects have damaged the intertidal habitat where mud shrimp live. Fishermen seeking to harvest them in large numbers have used high-pressure water pumps to flood the burrows, simultaneously destroying the structure of the sandy tunnels. Currently, 36 hectares of intertidal zone in Shengang Township are designated as a "Mud Shrimp Breeding Conservation Zone." Together with an additional 20-hectare zone extending toward Shengang and a 40.5-hectare zone in the intertidal area around Wanggong Fishing Harbor, three protected areas in total are subject to fishing bans and catch limits.
Despite the good intentions behind these marine protected areas, recent research shows that mud shrimp populations have been declining year by year. The main cause is attributed to coastal urban development and changes to the shoreline: the areas originally designated as protected zones have gradually been filled with silt, leaving large swaths of ground exposed and dry at low tide — conditions increasingly unsuitable for mud shrimp. The Ocean Conservation Administration and the Changhua County Government are therefore jointly studying how to adjust the boundaries of these marine protected areas in order to more effectively protect this cherished species of the west coast.
The Changhua area is an important oyster-producing region in Taiwan, and its farming methods differ from those elsewhere in the country
The mudflats beside the intertidal zone of Wanggong Fishing Harbor in Changhua are home not only to soldier crabs, horned ghost crabs, sentinel crabs, and Scopimera sand crabs, but also to the region's celebrated pearl oysters. Wanggong oysters are raised using horizontal rack cultivation — a method well-suited to shallow mudflats. At high tide, the oysters filter-feed underwater; at low tide, they are exposed to sunlight and carry out photosynthesis. Because horizontally farmed oysters spend less time submerged compared to vertically suspended ones, their growth rate is slower and their size is smaller. However, with longer hours of sun exposure, Wanggong's pearl oysters develop a firm, plump texture with a satisfyingly springy bite.
Every year from late October through November, as autumn gives way to winter, the oyster farmers of Wanggong village head out to tend their oyster beds at low tide. They collect oyster shells, drill holes in them onshore, thread them onto nylon ropes, and then set them out in the intertidal zone to cultivate spat. November through December is the spat growth period: once sperm and eggs combine, the larvae become attached spat, settling onto empty oyster shells and entering a metamorphic stage as they await maturity.
You can ride a traditional oyster cart out to the oyster beds and learn the stories of the farmers who work this land
From January through February each year, oyster farmers thin and re-space the crop to give the oysters more room to grow, separating the strings one by one and spreading them flat across the rack frames. Afterward, the farmers make regular rounds of the oyster beds to guard against the oysters' natural enemies — oyster drill snails and flatworms that prey on young oysters — and to re-secure any ropes loosened by the tides.
Next time you visit Wanggong, you can come to see the legendary mud shrimp, and also join an ecotourism experience that includes riding an iron-wheel cart out to sea to dig for clams and self-grilling fresh pearl oysters over charcoal. Keep in mind that oyster cart rides must be timed to the tides, so it is advisable to book by phone in advance. After the experience, head over to the nearby Fangyuan Lighthouse — striped in black and white — to catch a breathtaking sunset.
Local guided tours offer a wide range of experiences; freshly grilled oysters are a definite highlight for tasting the area's local produce
Fangyuan Lighthouse — the perfect spot for a million-dollar sunset
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