Hualien's Yuli Township Office has sparked controversy after introducing 150
non-native fish into a local park pond as part of a campaign to enhance the
area's biodiversity.

The township office announced on social media that it had recently introduced
koi fish and red Nile tilapia to the pond to create a more appealing
recreational environment this past weekend.

That announcement sparked a backlash - with most of the 300 comments
criticizing the move.

The post followed the deletion of an earlier Facebook statement in which the
office said that keeping the two non-native species could "boost
biodiversity."

One commenter charged that the office had deleted the original post due to
the criticism, while other comments argued the office should have consulted
ecological experts to avoid adversely affecting the local ecosystem.

Yuli Township chief Gong Wen-jun is denying any wrongdoing - saying both
species of fish came from Hualien's Aquaculture Breeding Institute and were
genetically improved varieties that will not harm the environment.