Taiwan imports nearly 30,000 tons of salmon cod every year, but Taiwan's good fish have to rely on sales. The second generation of Jiadong Yu wants to turn over the future.

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Jiadong Township, Pingtung County, to the south of the border, is an important breeding town of Shiban and Wu Tsai in Taiwan. Guofeng Village, located at the mouth of the Linbian River, has a farming area of 500 hectares, and the annual output value of the aquaculture industry in Fengfeng alone is estimated to be NT $7 to 8 billion. In Fengfeng, there are also many young people who go home to pick up the sticks. This group of sixth-and seventh-graders form Class 7 of the production and marketing class. By learning from each other and supporting each other, they explore the faith and vitality of the new generation of fishers in this industry that emphasizes technology and capital investment and high market risk.

Qianfeng Village is located at the mouth of Linbian Creek, and almost the whole village is covered by aquaculture ponds. The density is amazing. (photography / Lin Jiyang) the second generation of fishermen: using new technology to solve the old problem of drug use

At 06:30 in the morning, the air revealed a tense atmosphere, and everyone by the fish pond was located, looking trembling, and the day in Kuofeng Village began with fish harvesting. The fish are easily frightened. Once the fish are harvested, the whole pond will be emptied. The fishermen pick up the fish. After weighing and recording the fish, they are sent to the truck and poured into the Polaron box filled with crushed ice. They go to the cabinet to prepare for shipment.

The owner of this pool is Yang Chuanzhang, the seventh class monitor of production and marketing. He also traveled around the city in the past. After careful consideration, he decided to go home to take over the job. He said: "in this day and age, it may not be easier to go to work, and my parents are getting older. I decided to go home and inherit the aquaculture industry. Although the aquaculture industry is hard and risky, hard work can also support a small and old economy. "

High density of midday larvae and high environmental pressure in fish ponds are prone to pathological changes. Fishermen in the past had to stay near the fish ponds for 24 hours to monitor. Yang Chuanzhang uses the latest digital products to install cameras and water quality sensors to connect with his mobile phone, which can monitor data changes in fish ponds and water quality at any time, thus reducing dependence on drug administration. When the machine feeds automatically at a fixed time, he observes from the far end. If the bait condition of the fish is bad, it can be controlled and stopped from the far end of the phone.

Yang Chuanzhang, the seventh monitor of the production and marketing class, shows how his mobile phone manages and grasps market information. (photography / Lin Jiyang)

When Yang Chuanzhang returned to his hometown after the Morakot disaster, he took over the breeding pond from his parents and began to apply science and technology management, facing the conflict of ideas between the two generations. Yang Chuanzhang said with a smile: "the aquaculture fishing industry is very hard. My parents have been guarding the fish pond 24 hours a day, and they have struggled all the way. They don't see people who are not accustomed to the pond, and they manage the fish pond with mobile phones, so they are afraid of making mistakes, and it is inevitable that the two generations will have poor communication. Often when he talks about him, I listen to green vegetables and slowly hone their ideas.

The Chinese market is not easy to give up, but it is necessary to improve the quality and be prepared to open up other markets.

During the Morakot disaster, Jiadong at the edge of the forest suffered serious losses, and because of the storm, many young people from abroad returned to their hometown to rebuild their homes. After the disaster, many young generations have joined the aquaculture industry because of their similar age and easy communication of ideas. In the face of similar situations, they share dialogue with each other, and the strength of mutual support makes these second generations more willing to try new practices.

In the face of the fact that 70% of the production of grouper and noon fish depends on the Chinese market, the second generation of fishermen say that the potential of China's consumer market is huge. As long as fishermen are in charge of raising fish, they can wait for the money to be collected after being handed over to middlemen at the edge of the pool. However, they also said frankly that "cross-strait politics is indeed the greatest uncertainty, but it is impossible for fishermen to give up the immediate opportunity." Therefore, it is also more active than the previous generation to improve quality and strive for risk diversification in other markets.

The second generation of fishermen have a strong ability to learn and are more sensitive to the market. Zheng Jianzhi, a member of the class, said: "when prices collapse every year, the older generation of fishermen are used to shouting that a government subsidy of five yuan or ten yuan does not mean anything to fishermen."