Kinmen and Xiamen Jointly Release 5.61 Million Fish and Shellfish Fry to Mark World Oceans Day

(CNA, by reporter Hong Hsueh-kuang, Kinmen, 8th) To celebrate World Oceans Day and maintain the stability of marine resources, the Kinmen County Fisheries Research Institute today released 190,000 fish and shellfish fry in the waters of Lieyu. Simultaneously, Xiamen in China also released 5.42 million fish and shellfish fry, hoping to use the release to promote the importance of marine research and conservation.

The Kinmen County Fisheries Research Institute held the "2026 World Oceans Day Fish Fry Release Event" at 10 a.m. in the waters of Lieyu. Kinmen County Government Secretary-General Chang Jui-hsin led institute director Lee Chia-fa and others in conducting the offshore release of 190,000 fish and shellfish fry.

Chang Jui-hsin stated that as an area surrounded by the sea, a significant number of Kinmen residents rely on fishery resources for their livelihood. In recent years, the institute has been dedicated to achieving a balance between fishery economic development and the sustainability of marine resources, continuously conducting surveys on the biological resources of the sea and monitoring changes in marine resources.

Since the first fish fry release event in 2015, a cumulative total of 1.61 million fish fry had been released in the Lieyu waters by the end of 2025. This includes species such as fourfinger threadfin, sea bass, seven-star drum, black porgy, yellowfin seabream, flat seabream, three-spot swimming crab, ridged swimming crab, and ivory whelk. These are not only common species in fishery catches but also provide a considerable resource supplement to the environment.

In this year's event, the Fisheries Research Institute cultivated 30,000 each of black porgy, yellowfin seabream, and yellow-finned seabream, along with 100,000 whelks. On the Xiamen side, it is understood that 5.42 million large yellow croakers were released a few hundred meters away from the Kinmen vessels.

Lee Chia-fa stated that in response to fishing pressure, the sustainability of marine resources must be maintained through continuous releases. Furthermore, monitoring the habitat environment is equally important for the growth of the fry. This event not only involved releasing fry but also promoted the importance of marine environmental research, investigation, and conservation to better protect the rights and interests of fishermen when promoting related policies in the future. (Editor: Wu Su-jou) 1150608