Grey mullet an auspicious sign for the new year:
Huang Chao-sheng suggests that perhaps a few methods could be adopted, such as not permitting fishermen to catch "late-returning" fish, or limiting activity south of Chiating. These could be implemented in-house by the fishing self-regulatory bodies. Liao I-chiu hopes that deliberate conservation of grey mullet can be undertaken in a large scale soon.
Director Liao says, "Since the grey mullet have chosen this land of ours and come a long way to be our guests, and have been with us for such a long time, we have the urgent responsibility to protect them."
He suggests that the example of the protection accorded to the salmon, which lives at sea but swims upstream to spawn, can be provided to the fishermen for reference.
In order to protect the salmon, the governments of the United States, Canada, and Japan have all agreed to a treaty whereby each would leave untouched a certain amount, and catch only a certain amount. In the past few years there have already been signs of a resurgence of this resource.
Is this year's bumper crop of grey mullet an auspicious sign of things to come? In the past people had the saying that for the grey mullet "a good run lasts four years." Is this year the start of a positive period?
No matter whether it be fishermen, researchers of the grey mullet, or even connoisseurs, all hope that this traditional Chinese cycle can continue uninterrupted. Every year when the fish come to report, you can know: "Isn't New Year's coming soon? Look-it's another huge haul of grey mullet!"
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Annual variation of catches for grey mullet from 1966 to 1992
These fish all produce their own versions of "Chinese caviar," but if the eggs aren't tasty, the prices plummet.
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The grey mullet is one of the most important economic sources for fishermen. A good mullet catch can get one through the winter, so it can mean from the year's work.
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The value of the grey mullet lies in its roe. At the fish market, insiders know that a squeeze of the belly shows the telltale yellow egg juice for a female; otherwise it's a male.
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The water temperature is a key factor in determining whether the fish form schools. This is a satellite photo taken in the winter of 1992-1993. The places in the photo where the water is from 20-23 degrees celsius is where the mullet gather, and the fishermen can figure out from this where the schools will be. (photo courtesy of the Taiwan Fisheries Research Institute)
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The electrical generating plant at Hsingta has been built right next to the Chiating to the fishing port. In 1992, fishermen whose catch was adversely affected gathered before the plant to demand compensation, making for a media event.
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The more orthodox boats use purse seines, with two boats working together, to create a huge trap. This is most effective for catching fish.
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(sketched by Tsai Chih-pen)
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High class mullet eggs are yellow in the middle and transparent white outside, with a thick exterior. They don't have that "fishy" aroma when sniffed.
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Sun-drying flattened ova is an important way to process grey mullet. The mullet have to be turned over two or three times in order to be properly dried.
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Mullet eggs are a great New Year's gift, and are also very popular with Japanese tourists. (photo by Diago Chiu)
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There's a religious festival in Paishalun in Chiehting Rural Township that coincides with the mullet season. Mullet eggs dry in the sun in front of the ceremonial arch. After being processed, fresh mullet ova that sold for NT$300 can go for three times as much.
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The prime location for catching mullet is now from Tamsui to Hsinchu. This boat from Miaoli, after the end of the trail, has caught only ten fish despite working all right. The captain says that in the past you just had to wait by the mouth of the river to catch a big pile, and his record, set more than ten years ago, was 20,000.
There's a religious festival in Paishalun in Chiehting Rural Township that coincides with the mullet season. Mullet eggs dry in the sun in front of the ceremonial arch. After being processed, fresh mullet ova that s old for NT$300 can go for three times as much.
The prime location for catching mullet is now from Tamsui to Hsinchu. This boat from Miaoli, after the end of the trail, has caught only ten fish despite working all right. The captain says that in the past you just had to wait by the mouth of the river to catch a big pile, and his record, set more than ten years ago, was 20,000.