A town built on tuna
“It was me who caught the first bluefin tuna sold at Donggang Fish Market.” So says octogenarian fishing captain Su Jin, recalling his struggle against the huge fish back in 1971. “We went to sea expecting to catch tuna, but when that fish was hooked, I could tell it was much bigger than ordinary tuna. We couldn’t just pull it in or the line would break, so we played it for an hour or two until it was exhausted, and then brought it on board.”
At that time fish landed at Donggang were not yet exported. Su recalls how it was only through the efforts of former fishermen’s association chairman Lin Dehe and others that Donggang began to export tuna and sailfish to Japan, followed by bluefin tuna.
Local historian Su Huangwen, founder of the Donggang Cultural and Historical Space, relates that in the Qing Dynasty the town was known as a trading port. Near the end of the era of Japanese rule there was a seaplane base at neighboring Dapeng Bay, so Donggang became a military center. In the 1970s, the government invested money in the area as part of the Ten Major Construction Projects, and the town began to prosper as a fishing harbor and seafood exporter.
Su Jin began his apprenticeship as soon as he finished primary school in 1956, and became a captain at age 20. He recalls that in those days there were abundant fish in Taiwan’s coastal waters. But still on each trip a captain needed to know what fish to target, what fishing grounds to visit, what methods to use, and what fish were available in which season. Su caught bigger tuna than his competitors, earning a higher market price, and his wealth gradually increased.
Donggang’s famous Wangye worshipping ceremony also testifies to that period of history. In earlier times, the Wangye boat that is burned during the ceremony, paid for and built by local residents, was made of papier maché. Su Huangwen says: “The first wooden Wangye Boat was built in 1976, which is just when local fishermen were becoming well off.”
Another wave of activity was launched in Donggang in 2001, when the Pingtung County Government held the first Pingtung BlueFin Tuna Cultural Festival, making the fishing industry a focus of tourism.
Another source of local pride is the fact that fishermen have formed a sakura shrimp production and marketing cooperative to regulate their shrimp fishing activities. Today only 115 fishing boats are licensed to catch sakura shrimp, and only from November through May. Through conservation, the sakura shrimp’s market price has gradually risen, benefiting both fishermen and ocean sustainability.
The auctioneer rapidly calls the bids and sales are completed with just a subtle glance or gesture.
The trawl fishing market opens for business in the wee hours of the morning, and closes up at daybreak.
Many people visit Donggang just for the bluefin tuna, which is in season for only a limited period.