Xiaoliuqiu Volunteer Team Cleans Seas for 17 Uninterrupted Years, Accumulating 500 Dives
The Xiaoliuqiu Marine Volunteer Team has completed 500 underwater cleanup operations over 17 years. Inspired by a video of a sea turtle entangled in a fishing net, the team has removed approximately 300kg of fishing waste, contributing to the recovery of the marine ecosystem.
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- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 19:54
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 20:01 (7 min after Published)
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Huang Yu-ching, Pingtung County, 30th) Five residents of Xiaoliuqiu, moved by a video of a sea turtle entangled in a fishing net 17 years ago, formed the Xiaoliuqiu Marine Volunteer Team. For years, they have continuously cleaned the seas, demonstrating their love for their hometown through action, and today they reached the milestone of their 500th underwater cleanup operation.
Hong Guilian, spokesperson for the Xiaoliuqiu Marine Volunteer Team, told the Central News Agency that today's cleanup area was off the coast of Meiren Cave. A total of 35 people dived, and 25 people assisted on boats, clearing an estimated 300 kilograms of fishing waste, mainly nylon ropes and fishing nets. The volunteers were delighted that the underwater ecology has recovered significantly compared to the past. Today, they not only saw groups of glassfish on the coral reefs but also two large trevallies. Sea turtles, once rarely seen, are now almost "hard not to see."
Hong Guilian said that the volunteer team was established 17 years ago when team leader Li Chongzhen filmed a video of a sea turtle entangled in a fishing net. Five ocean-loving partners, including herself, began discussing what they could do for the environment. The volunteer team has gradually expanded from then until now, with nearly a hundred members, and their cleanup operations have already circled the island multiple times. Discarded fishing nets and ropes within 30 meters of the island's coast have been almost completely cleared. After gillnet fishing was banned within 3 nautical miles of Xiaoliuqiu in 2013, no new discarded fishing nets have appeared; only typhoons disturbing the seabed occasionally unearth old nets.
Li Chongzhen stated, "Every dive is the deepest commitment to the ocean; every persistence is the gentlest protection for the next generation." The 500 dives have not only removed countless discarded fishing nets and trash but also symbolize a firm determination to protect sea turtle habitats.
The Xiaoliuqiu Marine Volunteer Team stated that as a well-known green sea turtle habitat in Taiwan, Xiaoliuqiu's tourism has flourished in recent years, but it has also brought environmental burdens. Today's 500th operation is not only a milestone for the volunteer team but also an important opportunity for the entire island to promote "responsible tourism"; only through source reduction of waste and implementing responsible tourism can the marine ecology regain its splendor. (Editor: Li Hengshan) 1150430
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(Central News Agency reporter Huang Yu-ching, Pingtung County, 30th) Five residents of Xiaoliuqiu, moved by a video of a sea turtle entangled in a fishing net 17 years ago, formed the Xiaoliuqiu Marine Volunteer Team. For years, they have continuously cleaned the seas, demonstrating their love for their hometown through action, and today they reached the milestone of their 500th underwater cleanup operation.
Hong Guilian, spokesperson for the Xiaoliuqiu Marine Volunteer Team, told the Central News Agency that today's cleanup area was off the coast of Meiren Cave. A total of 35 people dived, and 25 people assisted on boats, clearing an estimated 300 kilograms of fishing waste, mainly nylon ropes and fishing nets. The volunteers were delighted that the underwater ecology has recovered significantly compared to the past. Today, they not only saw groups of glassfish on the coral reefs but also two large trevallies. Sea turtles, once rarely seen, are now almost "hard not to see."
Hong Guilian said that the volunteer team was established 17 years ago when team leader Li Chongzhen filmed a video of a sea turtle entangled in a fishing net. Five ocean-loving partners, including herself, began discussing what they could do for the environment. The volunteer team has gradually expanded from then until now, with nearly a hundred members, and their cleanup operations have already circled the island multiple times. Discarded fishing nets and ropes within 30 meters of the island's coast have been almost completely cleared. After gillnet fishing was banned within 3 nautical miles of Xiaoliuqiu in 2013, no new discarded fishing nets have appeared; only typhoons disturbing the seabed occasionally unearth old nets.
Li Chongzhen stated, "Every dive is the deepest commitment to the ocean; every persistence is the gentlest protection for the next generation." The 500 dives have not only removed countless discarded fishing nets and trash but also symbolize a firm determination to protect sea turtle habitats.
The Xiaoliuqiu Marine Volunteer Team stated that as a well-known green sea turtle habitat in Taiwan, Xiaoliuqiu's tourism has flourished in recent years, but it has also brought environmental burdens. Today's 500th operation is not only a milestone for the volunteer team but also an important opportunity for the entire island to promote "responsible tourism"; only through source reduction of waste and implementing responsible tourism can the marine ecology regain its splendor. (Editor: Li Hengshan) 1150430
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio-visual content on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.