Under the epidemic, the market for milkfish is on the rise, with high drug residues and dependence on the Chinese market becoming hidden concerns

The Wuhan pneumonia outbreak has hit Taiwan's fishing industry, especially wild-caught tuna and farmed grouper destined for restaurants and banquets, whose prices have fallen. However, farmed milkfish (commonly known as wuzai fish) destined for the household market have bucked the trend, becoming popular both domestically and for export. Prices rose from 105 yuan per Taiwanese catty in February to 140 yuan by April, an increase of more than 30%. Many grouper farmers, optimistic about the future of wuzai fish, are accelerating the shift to farming them.

However, both milkfish and grouper rely mainly on the Chinese market, with 70% of production sold there, carrying the risk of over-reliance on a single market. In addition, due to excessively high farming density, there have been repeated reports of failed drug residue tests, which is a hidden concern for domestic sales development. For the sake of industry development, many young fishermen in recent years have tried to build brands through production and sales traceability, hoping to open up the domestic market for milkfish.

Milkfish farmers have doubled in three years, with 70% sold to China, and prices are higher due to epidemic prevention

Wild milkfish are expensive, a dream catch for anglers and a delicacy for gourmets. Although farmed milkfish still differ in taste from wild milkfish, their affordable price and delicate flesh, with a standard market size of 300 grams, make them suitable for the household market. In addition, since China has not yet farmed milkfish on a large scale, domestic and export volumes have risen significantly.

After 2016, the grouper industry was in the doldrums, and many grouper farmers switched to farming milkfish, which also caused the number of farmers to rise from 2016