Eel production in Taiwan has slipped behind that of other East Asian nations over the past few years, leaving producers looking for alternatives to the formerly lucrative export market.
Once the regional leader in eel production, Taiwan’s release of fry into farming ponds has fallen far behind Japan, China and South Korea.
Taiwan leads off eel harvest season in East Asia, which typically runs from Nov. 1 to the end of February the following year.
Photo : Tsai Tsung-hsun, Taipei Times
To supply Japan for “unagi day” in midsummer, eel fry must be released before the middle of January, making Taiwan the best place to supply its neighbor during the high season.
However, Japanese producers have in recent years begun purchasing eel fry from Taiwan at high prices to supply their domestic market, driving down Taiwan’s eel exports and breeding industry.
As a result, the market share of Taiwanese eel in Japan and the amount of fry released into farming ponds has been falling rapidly.
Taiwan only accounted for 1.2 percent of eel fry released in East Asia, at 320kg, the Nihon Yoshoku Shimbun, a Japanese trade journal focusing on the eel industry, reported on April 7.
Japan led the industry at 49.3 percent (13,553kg), followed by China at 32.7 percent (9,000kg) and South Korea at 16.9 percent (4,639kg).
Owing to China’s recent success in the industry, South Korea has begun importing significant quantities of fry from China and Hong Kong to boost its numbers, making Taiwan’s market share likely to fall below 1 percent, the publication said.
Taiwan’s eel exports had already begun to slide before the COVID-19 pandemic. Exports fell each year between 2018 and last year, from 2,396 tonnes to 1,654 tonnes during the period.
July was the most productive month each year, ranging from 182 tonnes in 2020 to 410 tonnes in 2018.
The worst hit to fry rearing came over the past two years, from 8,143.8kg in 2020 to 4,430.49kg in 2021, and only 877.33kg last year.
This year, only 320kg has been released.
Eel farming in Taiwan is being depressed by high fry prices and dwindling exports, Taiwan Association of Eel and Shrimp Production Cooperatives chairman Tang Ching-tsung (唐慶宗) said.
As the risk is high, farmers are reducing their stock, making their exports less competitive and continuing the downward cycle, Tang said.
The way to correct the problem is to keep harvested fry in Taiwan to replenish domestic farming ponds in preparation for Japan’s “unagi day,” he said.
Farmer Kuo Hung-yu (郭紘瑜) said that he used to frequently send large eel orders to Japan, but now only sends one or two containers at lower prices.
Most eel producers are waiting to see what might happen, Kuo said, adding that his strategy is to stabilize revenue by actively pursuing domestic buyers before seeking more export opportunities.
Farmer Tang Hsin-yuan (唐昕遠), who is newer to the business, agreed that fry are expensive and exporting to Japan is not cost-effective.
He is only rearing enough this year to satisfy domestic demand and is converting idle ponds to more competitive species.
Tang said that if he stuck with only rearing eel, there is a good chance he would lose money despite the great effort required.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about