From June to October last year (2025), the Shei-Pa National Park Headquarters of the National Park Service, Ministry of the Interior (hereinafter referred to as the Shei-Pa Headquarters) conducted research and monitoring of the wild population of the Formosan Landlocked Salmon using the snorkeling visual method. The survey results showed that the population was not affected by multiple typhoons and earthquakes. The wild population count was approximately 16,020, the third-highest in history. Although it did not set a new record, it has maintained a stable level for several consecutive years, indicating that long-term habitat improvement, artificial restoration, and release management strategies have gradually reduced the extinction risk of the Formosan Landlocked Salmon, and the effectiveness of conservation and restoration is tending toward stability. In the future, the Shei-Pa Headquarters will also deepen its environmental education work so that the general public can further recognize the ecology of the Formosan Landlocked Salmon.

    The Shei-Pa Headquarters stated that last year it continued to strengthen release strategies and cross-domain conservation cooperation, conducting release operations in the lower reaches of Qijiawan Creek and the upper reaches of Sijielan Creek. In September, it further collaborated with Ginger Aviation to perform a release in the upper reaches of Sijielan Creek using helicopter slinging for the first time. This allowed the fish to reach the target habitat quickly and safely, significantly shortening the manual transport process that previously took several hours. This effectively reduced the manual burden and potential mortality risk during transport, increasing the survival rate of fry and establishing a more efficient operational model for high-mountain stream release operations. The habitat release in the upper reaches of Sijielan Creek is also the final piece of the puzzle for the habitat release work in the historical basins of the Formosan Landlocked Salmon (including the Qijiawan Creek basin and Hehuansan Creek basin). It is hoped that this will reduce the extinction risk of the Formosan Landlocked Salmon.

    The Shei-Pa Headquarters further stated that besides the conservation and restoration of the Formosan Landlocked Salmon, it also commissioned several experts in different fields such as hydraulics, stream ecology, aquatic insects, and carbon sinks to conduct research on the overall ecological functions of the Qijiawan Creek basin last year. The results showed that the carbon function of the Qijiawan Creek wetland is mainly "regulation and balance," with annual carbon sequestration and emissions roughly offsetting each other, not forming a significant net carbon sink. However, it plays a key supporting role in the ecological stability and food web operation of high-mountain streams. At the same time, it also continues to review the positive benefits brought to the hydrological conditions of Qijiawan Creek, habitat stability, and the salmon population over the past 20 years after reclaiming approximately 8.1 hectares of abandoned farmland in Wuling for afforestation. This serves as a scientific foundation for future ecological restoration and climate adaptation-related work.

    The Shei-Pa Headquarters pointed out that based on existing conservation foundations, the "Salmon 123 - National Treasure Fish Conservation Work Experience" environmental education activity is held regularly every summer vacation. Through systematic courses and explanations, it guides the public to understand the relationship between human behavior and stream ecology, establishes behavioral concepts friendly to the Formosan Landlocked Salmon, and reduces the impact of human activities on its habitat. This allows conservation results to be gradually transformed from scientific research into understanding and collective action by the public. This year, a total of 12 sessions were held with 330 participants. Furthermore, to further integrate research results and expand environmental education promotion, the Shei-Pa Headquarters is currently planning to establish a "National Treasure Fish Ecological Experience Classroom," with construction expected to start this year (2026). Once completed, it will combine the existing ecology center and germplasm bank to become an important venue for the conservation, education, and display of the Formosan Landlocked Salmon, systematically and completely presenting its ecological characteristics and restoration history, and deepening the public's understanding and experience of national treasure fish conservation through environmental education.

    The Shei-Pa Headquarters emphasized that the ability of the wild Formosan Landlocked Salmon population to maintain long-term stability does not rely solely on a single restoration measure, but rather through a holistic basin conservation approach. This combines various public and private collaborative units to perform habitat improvement and maintenance, long-term population monitoring, artificial breeding, and release management, while simultaneously reducing human interference with the habitat. In recent years, research results have been further transformed into environmental education and field experiences, allowing the public to adjust their own behavior and reduce their impact on streams while learning about the ecology. This conservation and restoration model, which combines scientific research with actual management and environmental education, has demonstrated the success of the Formosan Landlocked Salmon restoration and can serve as a reference for the conservation of other high-mountain streams or endangered species in the future.