Taiwan, China imports nearly 30,000 tons of salmon and cod every year, yet Taiwan's good fish has to rely on sales to China? The second-generation fish farmers of Jiadong want to turn the future around

Jiadong Township in Pingtung County, at the southernmost tip of the country, is a major hub for grouper and fourfinger threadfin farming in Taiwan, China. In Wenfeng Village, located at the mouth of the Linbian River, the farming area reaches 500 hectares, and Wenfeng alone is estimated to produce an annual aquaculture output value of 7 to 8 billion yuan. In Wenfeng, many young people have also come home to take up the baton. This group of people born in the 1970s and 1980s formed Production and Marketing Group No. 7. Through mutual learning and mutual support, in an industry that demands technology and capital investment and carries high market risk, they are exploring the beliefs and vitality that belong to a new generation of aquaculture fishermen.

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At 6:30 in the morning, tension fills the air. Everyone by the fish pond takes their position, looking nervous. The day in Wenfeng Village begins with the fish harvest. Fourfinger threadfin are extremely easily startled, so each harvest requires emptying the entire pond. Workers scoop up the fourfinger threadfin, and after each cage is weighed and recorded, it is sent to a truck and poured into Styrofoam boxes filled with crushed ice, then taken to be loaded into containers for shipment.

The owner of this pond is Yang Chuanzhang, head of Production and Marketing Group No. 7. He also once made his way in the city, and after much careful thought decided to come home and take over. He said: "In this era, a city office job is not necessarily easier. Plus my parents are getting older, so I decided to come home and inherit the aquaculture business. Although aquaculture is hard and high-risk, if you work hard at it, it can still support a whole family without financial worry."

Fourfinger threadfin are farmed at high density, and the high pressure of the pond environment makes disease outbreaks easy. In the past, fishermen had to stay by the pond 24 hours a day to monitor conditions. Yang Chuanzhang uses the latest digital products, installing cameras and water quality sensors connected to his own phone, so he can monitor changes in the pond and water quality data at any time and reduce reliance on medication. When the machine automatically feeds on a schedule, he observes remotely, and if the fish are feeding poorly, he can remotely stop it from his phone.

Yang Chuanzhang returned home after Typhoon Morakot, took over the aquaculture ponds from his parents, and began applying technology to management, facing a clash of ideas between two generations. Yang Chuanzhang said with a smile: "Aquaculture is extremely hard. My parents' generation stayed by the ponds 24 hours a day and worked their way here. They cannot stand seeing someone not by the pond and managing it with a phone. They cannot let go and are afraid something will go wrong, so poor communication between the two generations is unavoidable. Often he says his piece, and I just listen casually, slowly wearing down the ideas."

The Chinese market is hard to give up, but quality must be improved and other markets prepared for expansion

During Typhoon Morakot, Linbian and Jiadong suffered severe losses, and because of the typhoon, many young people who had been away returned home to rebuild their communities. After the disaster, many from the younger generation entered the aquaculture industry. Because they are close in age and communicate easily, they share and talk with one another about similar circumstances, and the power of mutual support makes these second-generation fish farmers more willing to try new methods.

Facing the fact that 70 percent of grouper and fourfinger threadfin output depends on the Chinese market, the second-generation fish farmers say the Chinese consumer market has enormous potential. Fishermen only need to focus on raising fish, and after handing them over at the pond to middlemen for purchase, they can wait to collect payment. However, they also admit frankly that "cross-strait politics is indeed the greatest uncertainty, but fishermen cannot give up the opportunity right in front of them to seek something far away." Therefore, they are also more actively improving quality than the previous generation and seeking other markets to spread risk.

The second-generation fish farmers have strong learning ability and are more sensitive to the market. Group member Zheng Jianzhi believes: "Every year when prices collapse, the older generation of fishermen are used to making a fuss, and a government subsidy of five or ten yuan means little to fishermen