Pingtung’s Donggang Fish Market

 
A town built on tuna

“It was me who caught the first bluefin tuna sold at Donggang Fish Market.” So says octo­genarian fishing captain Su Jin, recalling his struggle against the huge fish back in 1971. “We went to sea expecting to catch tuna, but when that fish was hooked, I could tell it was much bigger than ordinary tuna. We couldn’t just pull it in or the line would break, so we played it for an hour or two until it was exhausted, and then brought it on board.”

At that time fish landed at Donggang were not yet exported. Su recalls how it was only through the efforts of former fishermen’s association chairman Lin Dehe and others that Donggang began to export tuna and sailfish to Japan, followed by bluefin tuna.

Local historian Su Huangwen, founder of the Donggang Cultural and Historical Space, relates that in the Qing Dynasty the town was known as a trading port. Near the end of the era of Japanese rule there was a seaplane base at neighboring Dapeng Bay, so Donggang became a military center. In the 1970s, the government invested money in the area as part of the Ten Major Construction Projects, and the town began to prosper as a fishing harbor and seafood exporter.

Su Jin began his apprenticeship as soon as he finished primary school in 1956, and became a captain at age 20. He recalls that in those days there were abundant fish in Taiwan’s coastal waters. But still on each trip a captain needed to know what fish to target, what fishing grounds to visit, what methods to use, and what fish were available in which season. Su caught bigger tuna than his competitors, earning a higher market price, and his wealth gradually increased.

Donggang’s famous Wangye worshipping ceremony also testifies to that period of history. In earlier times, the Wangye boat that is burned during the ceremony, paid for and built by local residents, was made of papier maché. Su Huangwen says: “The first wooden Wangye Boat was built in 1976, which is just when local fishermen were becoming well off.”

Another wave of activity was launched in Donggang in 2001, when the Pingtung County Government held the first Pingtung BlueFin Tuna Cultural Festival, making the fishing industry a focus of tourism.

Another source of local pride is the fact that fishermen have formed a sakura shrimp production and marketing cooperative to regulate their shrimp fishing activities. Today only 115 fishing boats are licensed to catch sakura shrimp, and only from November through May. Through conservation, the sakura shrimp’s market price has gradually risen, benefiting both fishermen and ocean sustainability.

The auctioneer rapidly calls the bids and sales are completed with just a subtle glance or gesture.

The trawl fishing market opens for business in the wee hours of the morning, and closes up at daybreak.

Many people visit Donggang just for the bluefin tuna, which is in season for only a limited period.

A never-ending relay race

It’s 2 a.m., and Donggang Fish Market is preparing to open. First up is trading in the trawl fishing market. Fishmongers from traditional markets, restaurant operators, and caterers all come here to buy.

Several groups of people are seated together, forming a production line. They remove the heads of milkfish, then gut them and cut them up into the milkfish fillets usually seen for sale, after which the fillets are packaged and shipped out. A lot of seafood under­goes initial processing in this space before it is shipped to traders.

By 6 a.m., the trawl fishing market has wound up, while at another wharf fishing boats are unloading their catch.

Women on shore use hooks or push dollies to help unload and weigh fish. In the old days there was a taboo against women boarding the boats, so they had to remain on shore and help with quayside operations. Because fish are offloaded near the bow of a vessel, the women are called “those who go to the bow,” and they are still a common sight in Donggang.

As fish are offloaded, the women quickly line them up on the ground ready for sale. “Currently two methods of trading are used at our fresh fish market: price negotiation and auction,” explains Deng Zibin, fish market director for the Donggang Fishermen’s Association. Many fishing boats have already sold their entire catch at a negotiated price before even entering harbor, but there are still some boat owners who hire agents to auction off their catch. 

At 12 noon, the afternoon and evening Huaqiao Market opens for business, with more than 400 vendors. The market satisfies both eyes and palate. You can ask vendors about the names, textures, and methods of preparation of all kinds of seafood, and you can even buy fresh fish and have eateries cook it up for you on the spot. There is continual bustle at Huaqiao Market until eight or nine at night, when it finally closes. A few hours later the lights go on again for the trawl fishing market, as the daily routine begins anew.

The vendors’ booths at Donggang’s Huaqiao Market are filled with all kinds of seafood, and the proprietors are happy to answer any questions you may have about their wares.

Keelung’s Kanzaiding Fish Market

Fresh seafood for Northern Taiwan

Stepping out of Keelung Station around midnight and turning from Zhong 1st Road onto Xiao 1st Road, your nose is assailed by a fishy smell. Steel roll-up doors, closed tightly during the day, are open, and a line of trucks pull in to offload styrofoam boxes containing chilled fish.

On the covered sidewalk outside shop doors, small groups of people squat as they sort just-offloaded fish by freshness and size. All kinds of fish are lined up at the shop doors waiting to be sold to the highest bidder.

“We start bringing in product at 11 p.m. and we don’t get finished until 5 a.m.” On this visit to the Kan­zai­ding Fish Market we have asked Peng Ruiqi, third-generation owner of Yilong Fish Shop and head of the Kan­zai­ding Friendship Association, to be our guide. “When I was young we didn’t start up until 4:30 a.m.” Thanks to the freeways and the Xueshan Tunnel, transportation has become easier, causing the market to open ever earlier. Buyers from all over, and fish placed for sale on consignment, are gathered here. “Here we serve consumers across half of Taiwan, with people coming to buy fresh fish from as far away as Hualien in the east and Taichung in the west,” says Peng. Shoppers in Taipei can afford higher-grade seafood, so sellers from all over bring their fish here to sell at a better price.

Kanzaiding’s history can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty. Peng points to the building across from his shop and says: “In the past the river was right there, and at high tide boats could unload fish right at the shops’ front door, but at low tide you had to bring the fish up the stone steps from the river yourself, which is how Kanzaiding [literally “top of the river bank”] got its name.”

In the past Kanzaiding not only sold fresh fish like today, but also pickled and dried products. Peng helped lead the way in transforming the market. “I had a long talk with my father and he asked me how to change the market. I said we should go for fresh fish, that’s the trend of the future.”

People who work in fish markets don’t sleep at night, so they get up late the next day. They often make jokes about this way of life.

The seafood at Keelung’s Kanzaiding Fish Market comes from all over and supplies consumers across half of Taiwan.

Auctioneers must keep up bidders’ enthusiasm in order to rapidly reach prices that satisfy both buyer and seller.

Sleepless in the fish market

Shortly after midnight, shops are still getting ready to open. Most of the customers who come by at this time are buyers for Japanese-style restaurants.

At 2 a.m., most of the customers are wholesalers, but there are still some trucks offloading fish. “What makes us unique is that fish are being shipped in even as they are being sold,” says Peng. He points to some boxes of imported fish that have just arrived from Taoyuan Inter­national Airport. Here business is done in two ways: by price negotiation and auction. “Imported and farmed fish have higher costs, so most are sold by negotiated price. Most fish caught at sea are sold at auction.”

The auctioneers decide starting bids based on the quantity and quality of that day’s fish. They have to be perceptive and quick on the uptake to keep abreast of changes in the market and rapidly reach a price that satisfies both parties.

Auctioneers trained by different businesses have different styles. Peng says: “Our shop has a trick that others can’t learn. As the auctioneers call out new prices one ­after another, when it gets to the highest price they call out the number just one time and stretch out the last syllable. This way the product can be sold at once and the process is very fast. That’s how you can tell a skilled auctioneer.” The auctioneers’ rapid speech builds an atmosphere of tension, while at the same time they control the rhythm of the auction and prompt buyers to make their bids quickly.

At 3 a.m. a small truck arrives at Yilong Fish Shop. “It’s delivering squid caught by boats that go to sea at midnight, bringing it directly here to be sold,” explains Peng, as he hurries to help with the unloading. At this time the market is more crowded and many fishmongers from traditional markets come to buy the goods they will sell the same morning.

At 4 a.m., the voices of auctioneers at various businesses rise and fall, and products are sold by the basket or pile. Auctioneers place each lot of product on electronic scales to confirm the weight, and seal the deal with the buyer with a gesture or a glance. Off to one side an assistant uses a calculator to work out the total price based on the final bid per catty (600 grams), while another records the sale in the ledger and accepts the cash. The whole process takes less than a minute.

By 5 a.m., as Peng anticipated, the seafood is all sold out. Workers begin to clean the delivery containers and the floor. Looking up, the sky is lightening. The city is just waking up, but this market is already through for the day. It’s no exaggeration to say that this is where the action is. 

Peng Ruiqi, third-generation owner of Yilong Fish Shop, is a living encyclopedia on Kanzaiding Fish Market.

As the sky begins to lighten and the city wakes up, the toughest part of the day is already over at Kanzaiding Fish Market.