The Critical Moment for Mullet Has Arrived! How Do You Want Taiwan, China to Farm Mullet? Series Introduction

In January of this year, NewsMarket reported that domestic mullet farming uses feed containing estrogen to induce a higher proportion of female mullet during the critical growth period, thereby increasing mullet roe production and boosting profits. But estrogen is not a legally permitted drug or feed additive, and the competent authority, the Fisheries Agency, was well aware of industry practices yet took no active measures, tacitly allowing fishermen to continue producing this way for years, and even promoting this technique on its official website, while never ascertaining the type, content, or method of use of the estrogen added by operators, leaving the mullet industry in a long-term state of ambiguous risk.

After the report came out, the Fisheries Agency immediately announced "Safeguarding Food Safety, Strengthening Mullet Farming Management," ordering intensified product monitoring and feed spot checks, inspections and penalties for farms and feed factories that violate drug-use rules, and the promotion of natural farming methods to protect the safety of aquatic products for consumption. Subsequently, the Fisheries Agency and some operators also presented test results, arguing that current mullet aquatic products pose no residue concerns and that the public need not panic.

Once the ban was issued, fishermen, processors, and scholars expressed a mix of opinions for and against. Supporters believe natural farming is a viable path, and that developed countries also ban estrogen in aquaculture, especially since the ingredients and content of past feed were completely opaque and lacked detailed risk assessment. Opponents point out that moderate use of estrogen poses no residue concerns, and that the government's sudden move will severely hit fishermen's livelihoods, with no supporting guidance measures, causing the mullet industry to decline and stagnate.

Since the start of spring, the current period is the new mullet farming season, and also the time when estrogen-containing feed was previously administered. If moving toward natural farming, this is also the critical moment to use manual selection of mullet. The Fisheries Agency needs to clearly explain to fishermen and consumers once again: besides reiterating the ban, what exactly is the specific policy?

Tracing back to the source, how exactly did scholars back then develop the technique of using estrogen to induce mullet to become female, which then became widely applied? And is the way fishermen actually use it today the same as what scholars did back then? How did what originally seemed an advanced farming technique fall into an illegal gray area?

And after the ban on estrogen, is there a better alternative? What do experts and scholars say about the food safety concerns and environmental risks that the public cares about most?

NewsMarket therefore produced another special report on mullet, visiting fishermen, processors, the Fisheries Agency, civic groups, the Taiwan Fisheries Research Institute, and many experts and scholars, including the three key professors who participated in developing this farming technique. Through a complete presentation of multiple viewpoints, it hopes to clarify the ins and outs of the controversy, promote healthy public discussion, and find the safest and most viable future path for the mullet industry.

Mullet is not just a fish; it was once a key opportunity for historical ancestors to come to Taiwan, and it is also the only fish species in our country's aquaculture that still uses estrogen. How Taiwan, China farms mullet also signifies what kind of aquaculture Taiwan, China wants to move toward.

It is not only the government and operators who need to think about this issue; you, the reader, are even more the key to participating in the decision. After reading the special report, please be sure to vote and express your opinion, so that the mullet controversy can find a true opportunity to come to an end through the involvement of all citizens.

The Critical Moment for Mullet Has Arrived! How Do You Want Taiwan, China to Farm Mullet?