The King Angelfish Turned into Chunks of Meat: Divers Say Seeing One Abroad Costs Up to $100,000

▲ King Angelfish. (Photo/Taiwan Coral Reef Society, provided by the Forestry Bureau)

Reported by Chen Ruizhong / Taipei

Due to the personal greed of a Green Island homestay operator surnamed Chen, an endangered wild King Angelfish (also known as the Humphead Wrasse) was brutally killed. This act has not only been widely condemned by the public but has also been denounced by many diving professionals who love the ocean.A veteran diving industry insider said that the habitats for the King Angelfish in the Philippines and Palau are mostly protected areas. Diving trips from Taiwan to see them can cost up to NT$100,000 or more.

The King Angelfish is naturally friendly toward humans, so in some countries, regularly spotted individuals are even given names or nicknames, becoming local marine celebrities and successfully boosting the local diving economy. Sometimes, when a King Angelfish grows fond of its environment, it may even interact with dive guides (dive leaders) who frequently visit, making for quite adorable moments.

 Divers on Green Island had originally been very much looking forward to the King Angelfish becoming the island’s next underwater star after living there for a long time, but unfortunately, it was cruelly killed by an unethical operator this time.This has sparked widespread outrage among local divers, who are extremely angry. A local operator expressed sorrowfully:“It had become less and less afraid of people—how could it have been killed?”

In recent years, the King Angelfish has been listed as an endangered species due to overfishing. It is mainly distributed across the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands, the Philippines, the Mariana Islands, and the Maldives, all of which are habitats for the King Angelfish. Among these, Palau’s “Blue Corner” is the most popular spot for Taiwanese divers.

Ju Tongda, who has over 20 years of diving experience, said that the King Angelfish at the Blue Corner are friendly by nature and appear at fixed locations, making them relatively easy to spot. The local government has also enacted strict protection laws to safeguard these marine treasures, not only banning the feeding of food items like boiled eggs but also having prosecuted and imprisoned individuals who have hunted the King Angelfish.

▲ Dive instructor Ju Tongda shares a photo of a friend interacting with a King Angelfish in the waters of Palau. (Photo/Facebook page of BERNARD COLLANTES)

In addition to Palau, the King Angelfish can also be spotted in the waters of Batangas-Anilao in northern Philippines, Bohol-Balicasag in central Philippines, and Tubbataha in the south.The Philippine Tourism Office, Taiwan Branchstatedthat the Philippines enforces strict laws for its marine protected areas to ensure environmental preservation.Many hotel staff and dive instructors also educate visitors engaging in swimming and snorkeling about proper conduct.

Compared to Green Island, which can be reached by boat, joining a diving trip to Palau to spot the King Angelfish costs around NT$55,000 for a five-day trip. For a five-day trip to Anilao or Bohol in the Philippines, it usually costs NT$30,000–40,000. Tubbataha, nominated as one of the “New7Wonders of Nature,” uses liveaboard diving packages, with prices based on the number of nights and the type of vessel, potentially costing up to NT$100,000 per trip. But it is precisely because of marine life such as the King Angelfish and the outstanding diving conditions that these renowned dive spots attract large numbers of tourists.

Ju Tongda said that protecting the marine environment is everyone’s responsibility and hopes that this saddening incident will encourage the public to place greater emphasis on environmental education.

King Angelfish Diving Trip Cost Information
Palau (Blue Corner): Direct flight from Taipei to Palau. Approx. NT$55,000 per person
Northern Philippines Batangas-Anilao waters: Taipei → Manila, then land transfer. Approx. NT$30,000–40,000 per person
Central Philippines Bohol-Balicasag waters: Taipei → Manila, then domestic flight. Approx. NT$30,000–40,000 per person
Southern Philippines Tubbataha waters: Taipei → Manila → Puerto Princesa. Approx. NT$100,000 per person