A new image for a new century
With smaller catches and the contraction of the area’s once thriving coral industry, Nanfang’ao’s population has been in steady decline over recent years. Its mottled old houses bear silent witness to the passage of time and the changing local fortunes. Although the bustle and hubbub of the boomtown are long gone, fishing boats can still fill the harbor, moored in tight rows.
On a fall afternoon with a gentle sea breeze, the dappled light dances across the water’s surface. By piles of stretched-out fishing nets at the edge of the harbor, deckhands with weathered faces drip sweat as they meticulously mend frays and tears.
Sporadically, fishing boats return to unload their hauls, and the deckhands and auctioneers, cigarettes dangling from their lips, strike up conversations with the old captains as they unhurriedly await the arrival of trucks to take the fish from the harbor. Yet amid this languid atmosphere, change is brewing. Nanfang’ao, a coastal town blessed with great natural beauty, is getting an image makeover.
“It’s like I’m in a race against time, because chairmen serve for only four years,” says Cai Yuanlong, who took the reins as the 19th chairman of the Su’ao Fishermen’s Association in April. “The exhaustion of fish stocks would be a disaster for mankind. In the future, we’ll have to show our love for the earth by firmly implementing environmental protections.” He has a mental blueprint for an environmentally minded Greater Nanfang’ao. His plan starts with a focus on resolving the traffic congestion experienced locally on holidays, and then turns to raising economic efficiency.
Electric cars will help to reduce emissions, and the construction of a mackerel processing plant will turn the area’s ample and varied catch throughout the year into a variety of foodstuffs. That should help to moderate the impact of fish price swings and increase fishermen’s incomes. Pointing to the Zhu Dayu Culture Museum with its wide assortment of processed foods for sale, he proudly notes, “Everyone who has tried our products gives them a thumbs-up. I’m confident that we can promote and market them to the outside.”
There will also be a mackerel museum, which will document the brilliant history of the fishing harbor. “Connecting industry with culture is a future development goal for Nanfang’ao.” Cai is quite certain that this is the direction the harbor needs to be taking at its centennial. Only by treasuring and documenting local history and culture, as well as promoting fun and in-depth tours, can the area attract tourists from all over to stop and explore.
Nanfang’ao boats catch the vast bulk of Taiwan’s mackerel haul, earning the town the moniker “homeland of mackerel.” (photo by Chuang Kung-ju)