Authentic taste of the sea
Oysters (family Ostreidae), known in Mandarin as muli or hao and in Taiwanese as ô-á, are a common food consumed by ordinary people, and snacks such as oyster vermicelli and oyster omelet are widely available and highly nutritious. Dongshi Township chief Lin Junxiong, formerly secretary-general of the Chiayi Fishermen’s Association, explains that the outstanding mouthfeel and rich taste of oysters farmed in Taiwan are thanks to the use of traditional aquaculture methods.
In Taiwan, oyster farming is a major form of seafood aquaculture practiced along the West Coast, mainly in Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua, and Tainan, as well in the Penghu Islands. All of the oysters raised in Taiwan are of the species Magallana angulata. According to data from the Fisheries Agency, from 2005 to 2007 Taiwan produced about 30,000 metric tons of oysters a year, making it the world’s sixth largest producer. In recent years, annual production has been about 18,000 tons, with Chiayi’s two coastal townships, Dongshi and Budai, accounting for 47%, making the county the nation’s top producing region.
Lin Junxiong notes that oyster farming is vulnerable to the wind and waves brought by southwesterly weather fronts and typhoons. The Waisanding Sandbar off Dongshi acts as a natural barrier against the open sea, and there are no large industrial zones in Chiayi, so the waters are especially rich in plankton. Such factors have enabled oyster aquaculture to develop on a large scale in Dongshi, growing large, plump oysters that produce a white color when cooked into soup, earning them the moniker “milk of the sea.”
Oysters filter-feed on plankton, and the aquaculture methods used in Taiwan include suspended culture, rack culture, raft culture, and long-line culture, depending on the depth of the water. Oysters are at their meatiest from April to October each year, and consumer demand is especially high for the barbecues that are widely held around Mid-Autumn Festival. In oyster farming areas, one can often see local women gathered in huts shucking oysters, with heaps of waste shells frequently becoming part of the local scenery.
Because Dongshi is a bastion of oyster aquaculture, oyster shucking is an activity that involves virtually the whole town. Lin Junxiong explains that one shouldn’t underestimate the impact of this work, for “one oyster shucking knife can support an entire household.” In the main production areas in particular, people can earn NT$1,000–2,000 per day at this job.
In Dongshi, some six to seven households out of ten are involved in oyster shucking. Because of the high value of oyster production, in recent years a “grilled oyster street” has developed near the Dongshi Fisherman’s Wharf, attracting numerous tourists.
In recent years the quantities of oysters imported into Taiwan have been steadily increasing, and the Chiayi County Government has pro-actively helped fishermen to adopt a traceability system for their oysters, under which they attach a Traceable Agricultural Products QR Code to their products, thereby enhancing consumers’ confidence that they are getting genuine Dongshi oysters. The county government has also assisted in converting five oyster shucking spaces into environmentally controlled demonstration sites that can be kept at cold-room temperatures, where the oysters are packed into insulated cold containers to keep the meat fresh and of premium quality, thereby enhancing the brand reputation of Dongshi oysters.
The Chiayi County Government has helped oyster farmers to introduce a traceability system with QR Codes on products, in hopes of raising consumer confidence.
Farmers bring their harvested oysters ashore and send them to oyster washing facilities to be cleaned.
Dongshi produces vast numbers of oysters. In recent years it has promoted recycling of oyster shellstrings and ropes in the interests of environmental protection.
Wide separation between oyster racks helps the oysters grow large.