《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Man given six months in prison for killing rare fish

BLURRED VISION: A judge said Chen Ming-hsien could not have mistaken the fish for another species, as he is an experienced diver and shot the fish at close range

By Jason Pan / Staff reporter

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The Taitung District Court yesterday found a Green Island （綠島） business owner guilty of killing an endangered fish, sentencing him to six months in prison and a fine of NT$300,000.

The ruling can be appealed.

The court said that Chen Ming-hsien （陳明憲）, 34, in May last year used a harpoon to kill a humphead wrasse, also known as a Napoleon fish, in violation of the Wildlife Conservation Act （野生動物保育法）.

Chen operated a bed-and-breakfast featured in local and international travel Web sites, such A-Shien Diving Style BnB.

He was known for promoting tourism on Green Island and also worked as a tour guide and a diving instructor.

However, he caused an uproar after killing the rare fish, which itself was an attraction for divers and tourists.

Humphead wrasse is a slow-moving coral reef dweller, growing to about 1m to 2m in size, and there were less than seven of them in the waters around the island as of last year.

The incident was revealed after photographs of the dead fish were posted online and netizens found out the man in the photogrpahs was Chen.

Although Chen initially said the picture was taken seven years ago, people analyzing a screengrab from a smartphone noticed the 4G mobile connection indicator, revealing that the photograph was taken recently.

Coast Guard Administration personnel in Taitung County investigated the case and found the fish cut into pieces, which Chen had buried.

Chen was released on NT$50,000 bail after questioning and said it was wrong of him to kill the endangered fish, adding that it was “greedy” of him to want to eat it, and asked the public to forgive him and give him a second chance.

However, netizens posted messages saying “Chen is Taiwan’s disgrace,” and started a boycott of Green Island, which hurt tourism on the island for some time.

During the trial, Chen said he killed the fish by mistake, as his vision was blurred due to water pressure, adding that he realized that he had killed an endangered fish only after taking it ashore.

However, the judge said that Chen, being an experienced diving instructor and guide, could not have mistaken the fish for another species, as he had shot the animal at short range.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES