The climbing perch is a native fish in Taiwan, famous for being able to "walk" on land. But even this tough species is vulnerable to habitat loss. It was once a common sight in Kinmen, but the population has languished in recent years. Now an animal protection society has bred over 200 perch and hope to release them back into the wild as soon as they can.

A silvery fish flops to and fro in shallow water, moving forward determinedly. This is the famous climbing perch, which can survive hours outside water.

Chen Kuang-yao
Kinmen Wild Animal Protection Society
The covers on the gills are shaped like the teeth of a saw. When it’s out of the water, it pushes those covers out and uses them to walk across the ground. That’s why it’s called the climbing perch. If the water quality in its habitat changes, or the environment becomes inhospitable, it can even climb onto the land to seek another place to live.

The climbing perch is a tough and aggressive species. Fishermen are often stung by those saw-like gill covers. Unusually for a fish, it can breathe the air through its organs and survive outside water. As Kinmen’s environment was destroyed, it vanished, but this year it was once more discovered on Lesser Kinmen Island. Careful protection has brought the population up to 200 fish.

Chen Kuang-yao
Kinmen Wild Animal Protection Society
I think that when we caught the perch they were carrying the eggs already. We brought them back to the breeding ground and they were able to raise the next generation. We have more than 200 fish here now.

Dozens of young perch swim in a tank, watched over with care. When their natural environment is restored, they’ll be released back into the wild.