Formosan Landlocked Salmon Wildlife Refuge

Information

Area( hectare )

7,254.3

Simple Description

The extremely endangered Formosan Landlocked Salmon is a landlocked salmon species surviving from the Ice Age. Its origin and taxonomy status uner Salmonidae family and Oncorhynchus genus has been highly valued by the academia. In 1938, the Japanese set the protection for the species as “natural souvenir”, which proved its importance in bio-geography. After Taiwan’s restoration, the habitat of the species had been threatened by human development, and its distribution reduced from Hehuan Stream, Shueishan Stream, Nanhu Stream, Sejieilan Stream, Yuoshen Stream and Chijiawan Stream of upper Dajia Stream down to Chijiawan Stream and the 7km-long lower Shueishan Stream. The size of its populations also minimized. As a result, the Ministry of Economic Affairs listed Formosan Landlocked Salmon as a rare and precious species based on the Cultural Assets Preservation Law in 1984, and on October 1, 1997 the Taichung Hsien Government announced the establishment of the Formosan Landlocked Salmon Refuge.

Oncorhynchus masou formosanus is a species of landlocked salmon survived since the Ice Age, and its origination and classification has been widely studied. After the WWII, human damage and natural factors have deteriorated the environment of its habitat. It can only be occasionally spotted in Chichiawan River and 7 km long course at the downstream of Hsuen Shan River. Its population was significantly reduced to few hundreds, and became endangered. The government has listed it as protected species and promoted artificial restoration and release to increase its population.