Tainan fish farmers leave feast for migratory birds

Tainan fish farmers leave feast for migratory birds

2026-04-09

Every winter, black-faced spoonbills migrate to Taiwan’s coastal wetlands. There are only 7,746 black-faced spoonbills worldwide, and over 2,000 of them have visited Tainan for six consecutive years. The Tainan City Government encourages fish farmers to lower water levels and leave small fish when their ponds close for the winter, turning them into a buffet for birds and helping protect the black-faced spoonbill.

A flock of black-face spoonbills land in a fishpond in Tainan. They use their long beaks to catch small fish.

The black-faced spoonbill migrates to Taiwan’s wetlands every winter. There are currently 7,746 of the birds worldwide, and Taiwan has recorded over 4,000 of them, with over 2,000 seen in Tainan for six consecutive years.

Huang Yung-feng
Tainan city conservationist
There are 410 more in Tainan this year, with a total of over 2,700. They tend to eat for three to five days, with up to 100 birds coming at once.

Fishponds usually close in the winter, so the Tainan City Government started giving fish farmers NT$10,000 per hectare to lower their water levels and leave small fish, making their ponds ideal fishing grounds for birds. Nearly 60 farmers responded, turning over 180 hectares of ponds into a fish buffet.

Tu Sung-yi
Fish farmer
Most fish farmers would probably be willing, because our ponds normally close for the winter anyway. If it was better promoted, I think everyone would be even more willing.

Chu Chien-ming
Tainan city agriculture official
The largest area since we started in 2021 has been 207 hectares. We hope that after their harvest, fish farmers can leave small fish in their ponds to increase food sources for black-face spoonbills.

Thanks in part to conservation efforts by Tainan and its fish farmers, the International Union for Conservation of Nature now lists black-faced spoonbills as threatened rather than endangered. After eating their fill, these migratory birds begin their journey back north.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#spoonbills #blackfacedspoonbills #Tainan #conservation #birds #fishfarmers #migratorybird

魚塭成鳥類Buffet樂園台南推獎勵政策成功復育黑面琵鷺

2026-04-09

每年冬季，黑面琵鷺都會飛到台灣沿海濕地過冬，根據最新普查，全球黑面琵鷺共有7746隻，台南連續六年，紀錄到超過兩千隻的黑面琵鷺飛來。原來，是台南市府推行”生態給付獎勵”，養殖漁戶在魚塭休養期，配合降低水位，保留小魚，魚塭成了鳥類Buffet樂園，把黑面琵鷺從原本瀕臨滅絕的狀態搶救回來。

成群結隊的黑面琵鷺，現蹤在台南北門海埔新生地的魚塭，鎖定魚群後，伸長脖子往水裡覓食。

每年冬季，黑面琵鷺就會飛到台灣沿海濕地過冬，根據最新全球普查，黑面琵鷺總數高達7746隻，台灣紀錄到4千多隻，台南更是連續六年，紀錄到超過2千隻黑面琵鷺的蹤跡。

[[台南市生態保育學會副總幹事黃永豐]]
“今年台南市多了410隻，就是2700多隻，吃的時間差不多3天至5天，最多情形曾經飛來100多隻”

冬季期間，正好是魚塭休養期，台南市府也趁勢推行”生態給付獎勵”，養殖漁戶配合降低水位，保留小雜魚，讓黑面琵鷺吃到飽，一公頃就補助一萬元獎金，去年吸引近60人響應，超過180公頃的魚塭，瞬間成了鳥類Buffet樂園。

[[養殖漁民凃松邑]]
“漁民應該是多數都會有意願，因為大家冬季本來都會休池，如果可以加強宣導的話，相信大家參與的意願會更高”

[[台南市農業局森保科科長朱健明]]
“110年開始到現在，最高的面積有到達207公頃，希望漁民如果收成之後，留一些下雜魚給黑面琵鷺覓食，來增加牠的食源”

政府和漁民打造良好的覓食環境，讓國際自然保護聯盟紅皮書，把黑面琵鷺從原本瀕臨滅絕降級，吃飽喝足後的國際鳥明星，也換上新裝後也陸續北返。

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民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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