Helping hermit crabs find homes on Green Island — The farthest package came from Japan’s “Oyster House”!

Reporter Lin Yuling / Interview and report

A photo of a hermit crab using a faucet as its home caused an online sensation over three years ago.It squeezed uncomfortably into a heavy and ill-fitting space, looking just like a refugee, as if saying, “I have no home, please give me back my shell!”This shocking scene wasn’t from some distant place but actually happened on the shores of Green Island, drawing attention to the ecological issue of a shortage of crab shells. In addition to urging tourists not to take shells, Taitung’s Green Island has also launched a “Hermit Crab Home Plan.” Over the years, visitors from various places have sent shells and other items to the relevant organizations, and the farthest package surprisingly came from Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, which was truly touching.

▲ Over three years ago, this image of a hermit crab using a faucet cap as its home caused a sensation. (Photo provided by Shan Zhu)

In the past, many tourists romantically picked up shells on the beach, and many food lovers enjoyed delicious shellfish, unaware that they were taking away the homes of hermit crabs, leaving them “almost without a place to live.” In 2012, ecologist Shan Zhu (real name Lü Jinyu) took a photo of a hermit crab “using a faucet as its home” on the beach at Nanliao, Green Island, which shocked many people. At the time, Shan Zhu was interviewed byETtoday EBC News Cloudand said,“Actually, it’s not just bottle caps, empty bottles, or faucets. I’ve also seen hermit crabs temporarily living in broken ‘light bulbs,’ squeezing uncomfortably in spaces that don’t fit them. ‘It was heartbreaking to see.’”

Since then, people concerned about ecology have gradually come together, including the Taitung County Nature and Humanities Society, the Department of Leisure Industry Management at I-Shou University, and relevant organizations on Green Island, to collaborate on the“Hermit Crab Home Plan.”They hope tourists will give hermit crabs and the ocean back their homes. Whether it’s shells collected in the past or sea snails eaten at restaurants, the shells can be cleaned, dried, and sent back to them. These shells from all over are sorted by the relevant organizations on Green Island. If the shells are of species found locally, they are returned to the beach. If not, they are collected first for future ecological displays or research purposes.

▲ After about three years of implementing the Hermit Crab Home Plan, receiving shells and shells from all walks of life has been very heartwarming. (Photo provided by the Facebook page “Low-Carbon Love Green Island” / Taitung County Nature and Humanities Society)

A staff member of the Taitung County Nature and Humanities Society revealed that since the plan started about three years ago, people have continuously sent shells and other items. Some seafood restaurants are very thoughtful, collecting a certain amount, cleaning and pest-controlling them before sending them regularly.And the farthest package surprisingly came from the “Oyster House” in Yokosuka, Japan, with heartfelt intentions across the sea, even including a hand-drawn card, which was incredibly touching.

%The donor, a Taiwanese girl named Li Wei-Yi who married and moved to Japan from Keelung, runs the Oyster House restaurant with her husband, Mr. Mizusawa Takashi, which operates from the end of each year to May of the following year. Although she lives far from her hometown, she still cares deeply about what’s happening back home. After learning about the “Hermit Crab Home Plan” from the news, she decided to collect shells and send them regularly. She even set up a “shell” recycling category in the restaurant, attracting friends from Shima and Sashima to join in helping.