Memories and burdens
As we enjoy eating this fish and trace its history in Taiwan, the contrast between the despair of Kuo Chi-chang and social atmosphere of the time stir one to lament that when circumstances are not favorable, the outcome of human endeavors becomes uncertain.
In the post-war period, when material resources were lacking, industriousness and frugality were much-praised virtues. Tilapia's low cost was the most important factor behind its becoming an integral part of people's diets, and given the living standards of the time, such a consideration was inevitable. The popularity of tilapia was like the pleated skirts and military training uniforms in high school photographs-the only choice when no others were available.
Memories of eating fish tie together many details of the life of yesteryear, and the action of eating fish can reflect economic realities. After Taiwan's economy took off, citizens' dietary habits changed. People sought refinement and healthfulness in what they ate. As a result, tilapia, with its links to memories of poverty, gradually lost ground in the domestic market. In recent years, squeezed by imported aquatic products, tilapia has completely lost the dominant position it once held.
This trend is especially obvious to Huang Cheng-chieh. Having majored in pisciculture in college, his work following graduation involved purchasing aquatic products for a mass retail chain. In recent years, he has watched the fortunes of tilapia by observing consumer behavior. "At our store, we sell 100 tons of tilapia a year. Tilapia is not difficult to sell. And the profit on both fillets and fresh whole fish is decent," he says.
"However, the impression that these fish eat feces is probably still too fresh in people's minds. Prices remain depressed, and the fish is considered strictly a low-price product. And the more urbanized an area is, the poorer are the sales."
Export sales accounted for more than half of last year's 80,000 tons of production, reaching 50,000 tons. Although demand for tilapia on the international market continues to rise, competition from southeast Asian nations and China "has forced prices very low," says Chen Chun-hsu, a nephew of old fish farmer Chen Chin-tung. Born in 1976, Chen Chun-hsu returned to his hometown to raise fish with his elder brother Chen Tsung-chieh after the factory where he had been working closed down.
"Just after I came back last year, the price for the fish was more than NT$30 per catty. Now it's fallen to NT$21," he says.
It's April, and it is still overcast in Chaiyi and Tainan Counties, which are usually basking in sunshine at this time of the year. With the price for tilapia continuing to decline, depression continues to hover over the Chen family, as well as the 6,400 hectares of fish farm ponds scattered through Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Taoyuan and Ilan Counties.