Surrounded by sea, Taiwan is abundant in ocean resources brought by the warm trends. From north to south, west to east, onshore to offshore islands of Taiwan, from freshest seasonal seafood to aquaculture and leisure, unique fishing methods and trading spectacles can be seen everywhere.

Every summer, the fishermen in North Coast Jinshan exploit the flashy blaze of light produced by sulfur stones to catch schools of scaled sardine by attracting their leap into the hand operating dip net. As thousands of thousands of fish stocks bound under the spotlight, the fishermen smile radiantly and embrace the harvesting moment. “Sulfuric Fire Fishing” is not only a brilliant fish-catching technique but also a graceful cultural heritage.The swordfish swim towards our island by following the Kuroshio Current every autumn. The fishermen in Taitung Chenggung will hop on the fishing boat and stand at the bow by relying on two cloth rings which support the body, holding a javelin in their hands. Sometimes the tides can reach up to two or three meters high, and sometimes the waves dance and move intensively close to the sea surface. The fishermen will throw out swiftly the harpoon to spear the swordfish that swim speedily like a sprinter. “Spear fishing” is not just a method of fishing but the desperately fight of the fisher folks as they have to take the risk of getting injured or falling overboard for obtaining high income and the freshest delicacies without fishy smell by making death-defying effort.

A tableau of more abundance is displayed when it comes to the making of mullet roes around winter solstice. The golden yellow fish roes cover the fishing ports in Hsinchu Siangshan, Yunlin Kouhu, Tainan, and Kaohsiung, announcing the joy and approach of Chinese New Year in advance. Freshness can be found everywhere: Sakura shrimp and Bluefin tuna in Donggang, Spanish mackerel and squid in Penghu, and crabs in Wanli North Coast. One can partake in many activities, such as the competition of clam digging, rowing and dredging up seaweed, prawn fishing, Sturgeon hugging, Taiwanese beach seine and gabion collecting, the eight divinatory trigrams net casting, oyster shell string making, and freshly-grilled oysters relishing, at all seasons. The fishery of Taiwan is full of fun.

Perhaps it is only by peeping at the glamor of intertidal zone, visiting a fish market to listen to the cries of peddlers, or observing quietly the flow and fluidity of traditional fishing culture that one can realize the fact that Taiwan is indeed a kingdom by the sea.