An ocean-friendly technique

The earliest use of set-net fishing in Taiwan can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty, but it was only in the era of Japanese colonial rule that this type of fishery began to rapidly develop.

Today there are 31 set-net operators in Taiwan working 63 fishing grounds. Most are located in Eastern Taiwan, with only one-fourth being based in Western Taiwan.

Set-net fishing is classed as a passive fishing method, and although it takes in more catch than any other coastal fishing method, it lags far behind open-sea fishing techniques. As a result, for a time it fell out of favor.

The catch is first sorted on board, then brought ashore and rapidly packed in ice.

Fish can come and go

How many fish can be caught by set-net fishing? Zheng Yunhao, who operates the Beiguan set-net fishing ground off the coast of Yilan County, provides concrete data about the rate at which set nets catch fish: “A study done in Japan showed that on average, of every four fish entering a set net, only one ends up being caught.” The secret to this eco-friendly rate lies in how the nets are constructed.

For example, in a “single-ended dual-chamber set net,” when fish swim into the net they will first enter the “heart” (a.k.a. “playground”), then the outer chamber, and finally the holding chamber (a.k.a. “bag net”), with the mesh size of the netting getting smaller at each stage.

However, even in the holding chamber, furthest away from the entrance to the net, the mesh size is still three to six centimeters, so that small fish and fish fry can pass through. Moreover, even fish that cannot pass directly through the mesh can escape by retracing their path back to the heart and exiting through the mouth of the net.

Hence set-net fishing is considered to have the twin advantages of avoiding catching undersize fish and fry, and also not resulting in overfishing.

After the boat reaches the fishing ground, it only takes 30 to 40 minutes to finish bringing up the net with the catch.

East Coast set-net fishing

Zheng Yunhao, who is the third-generation manager of a set-net fishing ground, was born into a fishing village and in university studied in a related department. However, after graduation he did not directly return home.

Still, after trying out a number of different jobs in the city, he returned to Yilan’s Gengfang Fishing Harbor to take over his father’s set-net fishing business. “At first I just figured I would give it a try,” says Zheng, but this “try” has now lasted for 13 years.

Time flies, and that young man from the early days has today become the “boss” who monitors conditions at the fishing ground via video link. But one thing he can’t control is the fickle temperament of the sea. On a summer morning the sun shows its face at about 5 a.m., and at this time a boat is heading to the fishing ground to bring up the bag net for the first time that day. But Zheng, after observing the floats, tells them to wait a while.

The set net system is held in place by strong “frame ropes” that form the framework that holds the set net in place in the ocean over many years. It is moored to anchor weights (bags filled with stones that rest on the seabed) and held up by floats.

Fishermen routinely inspect the frame ropes to ensure they are in good order, because any misalignment can affect the functioning of the net system. They also observe the frame to judge the state of the ocean currents.

Zheng explains that if on a particular day the floats are deeper in the water than usual, it means that the ocean current is very strong. To insist on hauling in the catch at that time could lead to the net being carried away by the current, which could put the boat crew in danger.

Zheng Yunhao, who operates the Beiguan set-net fishing ground off Yilan, decided 13 years ago to return to his hometown to take over the family business.

West Coast set-net fishing

In contrast to the East Coast, where fishermen decide when to bring up the nets according to the speed of the current, on the West Coast of Taiwan what matters most is the state of the tide, says Zheng Mingfa, operator of the Mingfa set-net fishing ground off Hsinchu. The average period from one high tide to the next is around 12 hours and 25 minutes, and fishers need to carefully choose when to put to sea according to this cycle.

To increase the number of times each day that fisher­men can bring up a catch, Zheng Mingfa developed a unique “two-ended single-chamber set net.” This makes it possible to alternately catch fish in the holding chambers at opposite ends of the net system as the tide rises and falls.

The nets are the vitals of any set-net fishery and are an important partner for fishermen. Therefore set-net fishing grounds have a rest period from July to August each year, not only to avoid typhoons but also to take the opportunity to clean the fishing gear.

Each set of nets is under water for about ten months a year. Although the fishing gear provides a manmade habitat where sea creatures can thrive, the gear itself can be adversely affected by these “residents.” In particular, excessive growth of barnacles and seaweed can make the gear too heavy, thereby interfering with judgments about when to haul up the catch.

To deal with this problem, fishermen spend two or three days gathering the enormous nets on shore, where they first use high-pressure water jets to clean away the marine organisms that have attached themselves to the fishing gear, and then repair areas of damaged mesh.

Typhoons represent a great threat to set-net fishing gear, as Zheng Mingfa can personally attest. In the past he took the risk of leaving his nets in the water for an extra few days in order to catch more high-value demersal (bottom dwelling) fish, never expecting that his fishing gear, worth over NT$10 million, would be completely swept away overnight. Though these incidents are long in the past, he still vividly remembers the two occasions when he suffered heavy losses in this way.

Nonetheless, these setbacks by no means extinguished his enthusiasm for set-net fishing.

As well as putting out information on social media, Zheng Mingfa has also acted to enable members of the public to see for themselves the process of bringing up a net full of fish. He invested heavily to buy a sightseeing boat so that not only can consumers eat the freshest catch, they can see the fish leaping in the net with their own eyes. Moreover, Zheng works with educational organizations in hopes of informing more people about set-net fishing.

Fishermen repairing damaged net meshes.

Zheng Mingfa’s design of a set net with a single holding chamber at each end of the heart increases the number of catches that can be landed each day.

Two-ended single-chamber set net (source: Mingfa set-net fishing ground)

Fresh fish year-round

Different migratory fish species follow the ocean currents to Taiwan in every season. In spring and summer, set-net fishermen on the East Coast mostly catch skipjack tuna, flying fish, and striped bonito, while in autumn and winter they land mahi-mahi, hairtail, and queenfish. Meanwhile, in spring and summer set nets off the West Coast catch silver pomfret, rabbitfish, and horse mackerel, while in autumn and winter they bring in mullet, fourfinger threadfin, and mackerel scad. Taiwan has an abundance of fish all year round.

Huang Pincheng, bookkeeper for the Jiafeng set-net fishing ground off Hualien, says: “Many customers at our fish market will ask ‘what kind of fish is this?’ or ‘how do you prepare this?’ Usually I suggest that it’s very good simply pan-fried, because our fish are very fresh.”

Huang, who once owned a coffee shop in Tainan, returned home six years ago and took over the reins of the fishing ground’s sales operations. Initially he didn’t recognize all of the fish, but today, interacting daily with customers, he weighs fish and calculates their price with practiced ease, while smoothly answering questions about the kinds of fish available and their cooking methods. Occasionally he doubles as an environmental advocate, telling customers, “There’s no need for plastic bags when buying fish.”

Huang tirelessly answers customers’ questions. He is especially anxious to respond to queries about fishes’ size, because many customers believe that small fish being offered for sale is a sign of overfishing. Huang explains that this depends on the fish species. Some kinds of fish are as large when they are juveniles as others are when they are adults. This is “seafood and fisheries education.”

Besides selling its catch, the Jiafeng fishing ground also promotes a policy of not using plastic bags.

Single-ended dual-chamber set net (source: Jiafeng set-net fishing ground)

The distance between man and the sea

Huang Wen-chi, CEO of Fish Bar, a seafood and fisheries education venue in Hualien, says: “Stuff like this may be too complicated for most people.” Seven years ago, when she was a research assistant in a university, she went on a study trip overseas, and began to think about how to introduce these kinds of ideas to Taiwanese.

However, at that time public education on seafood and fisheries culture was a completely novel concept. The first problem Fish Bar faced was how to combine knowledge with entertainment.

To this end, Huang Wen-chi and a group of partners who had founded their own brands began feeling their way forward. They started by working with free-of-charge educational organizations and for-profit travel agencies, and today, with new attention from domestic media, they have reached a point where people are starting to come forward spontaneously to sign up for participatory activities.

“We aim to use fish as a means to close the gap between people and the sea.” Huang Wen-chi’s ideal is transforming what was simply a delightful food consumed at dining tables into a vehicle for education. Visitors who have completed experiential activities have a better under­standing of the different kinds of fish and have begun to think about the numbers of fish in the sea as well as the impact of various fishing methods on ecosystems. By acquiring this knowledge, people are better able to appreciate the delicious fish dishes that they eat.

Fish Bar strongly promotes the concept of ocean sustainability.

The experiential activities hosted by Fish Bar help participants gain a deeper understanding of the mysteries of the sea.