Yunlin fish farmer stands her ground to revolutionize aquaculture industry

Yunlin fish farmer stands her ground to revolutionize aquaculture industry

2023-03-06

Taiwan’s fishing industries are in need of innovation, and one Yunlin woman is doing more than her fair share. Lin Chia-hua has been recognized as an aquaculture expert, with an award from the Ministry of Education. The third-generation fisher from MailiaoTownship had to resist her father’s opposition to a woman becoming a fish farmer. But now the aquaculture expert is revolutionizing how Yunlin farmers process and sell their produce.

Lin Chia-hua works with a colleague to pull in a fishing net. She puts her all into fishing. Having grown up here in Hou’an village, on the southwest side of Mailiao Township in Yunlin, she’s been helping out with raising pigs and feeding fish for as long as she can remember. In high school she studied animal husbandry, but in university majored in aquaculture.

Lin Chia-hua
Third-generation Mailiao fisher
I’ve studied two legs and four legs. It was a slow transition. Because in the early days our family raised animals and did aquaculture.

But Lin’s father initially thought fish farming was too physically taxing, and strongly opposed his daughter focusing on it. It was Lin’s mother who supported her choice.

Lin Chia-hua
Third-generation Mailiao fisher
My mom acted as a bridge between us. She thought that it was good that at least I had a commitment to something, and that she wanted to support me.

Lin is constantly reflecting on the future of fish farming. The industry needs innovation and change to stay profitable. Fishers must continuously upgrade their techniques and improve their product processing and publicity systems. Lin has a thorough grounding in theory, as she’s now studying for her PhD, and conducting research while working.

Lin Chia-hua
Third-generation Mailiao fisher
If you sell your produce to a middleman, the price is limited. So I started thinking, very simply, wouldn’t it be better to make some more processed products? First off, it would extend the storage life of our aquaculture products.

Lin’s special knowledge of aquaculture and product processing have made her business go from strength to strength. She’s now recognized as an “Aquaculture and Food Products Expert” by the Ministry of Education, receiving the “Outstanding Award of Technological and Vocational Education.” She wants to bring the energy of more young people into the industry.

麥寮女力漁三代承接父水產養殖圖突破

2023-03-06

雲林縣麥寮鄉的西南邊，有發達的養殖業，身為漁三代的林佳樺，從小幫忙養台灣鯛，也養豬，大學時則選擇水產養殖，更因為有興趣，一路讀到了博士班，她把學術結合技術，獲得教育部舉辦的"技職之光"獎項，秉持熱情，推廣家鄉的優質漁產。

拉起豐收的魚網，林佳樺做起各種體力活，就是一股拼勁，她住在雲林縣麥寮鄉西南邊，後安村，從小幫忙家裡養豬、餵魚，高中時期讀的是畜產相關科系，大學改讀水產養殖。

[[麥寮漁三代林佳樺]]
“兩隻腳、四隻腳學完了，就慢慢轉型，因為家裡早期是畜牧跟養殖，就是水產養殖。”

然而，父親覺得養殖業太辛苦，不願兒女接手，相當反對她入行，母親則全力相挺。

[[麥寮漁三代林佳樺]]
“媽媽出來當橋樑，她覺得說至少小孩子有心，就是支持她。”

林佳樺不斷思考漁業的未來，這個行業需要創新和改變，漁民除了要繼續加強養殖技術，還要結合推廣和食品加工。林佳樺有學術打底，一路讀到博士班，邊研究邊做，越做越帶勁。

[[麥寮漁三代林佳樺]]
“賣給盤商，價格就是在那邊而已(不會更高)，那時候只有很單純想說，如果再製加工品，是不是會更好，就是會提高，第一可以延長我們的水產品的保存。”

養殖和食品加工的專業，不但讓林佳樺的事業蒸蒸日上，更是得到教育部第18屆技職之光的肯定，成為國家認證的"水產養殖與食品達人"。她更努力結合在地青年的力量，推廣家鄉優質物產。

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Leather sculpture is a rare artform practiced by skilled craftspeople worldwide. In Taiwan, Yeh Fa-yuan has been making stunning leather art for 36 years. Using techniques he developed himself, he’s found new ways to bring a simple strip of leather into a 3D work of art. From lifelike crabs to eagles, ants, and even human beings, Yeh can fashion them all out of leather. But as he shared with us, making a living from art has not always been easy. After years of hard work in obscurity, now Yeh’s work can be seen at the world famous Louvre Museum in Paris.

A tap of the hammer, and a flick of the chisel: gradually a pattern emerges. The trimmed-down crab’s legs are softened in water and remodeled.

A pin is used to create hairs. The crab’s body and legs are assembled, pieced together, then brushed with green dye. When it dries, another layer is applied – 10 times. Then the lifelike crab is finally complete.

Yeh Fa-yuan
Leather sculptor
Quite by accident, while I was working, I noticed a piece of leather that looked like a guitar. That’s how I first got involved with leather. I quit my job to dedicate myself to leather art because I think that it’s a very happy thing to be able to do work that interests you!

In Yeh Fa-yuan’s nimble hands, a simple piece of leather becomes a vendor with a basket full of crabs, ants crawling over watermelon or crystal sugar, or a dish of stir-fried pork. Yeh quit a stable career to follow his passion, and over the years he was surprised to find people loved his work.

Yeh Fa-yuan
Leather sculptor
Actually, while I’m working, I always think that artists need to have a lot of perseverance and willpower, to keep struggling at it for long periods of time, as well as a kind of foolish desire to just keep doing it, without complaints or regrets. At the stage when you’re not yet famous, you can go months without making any money. I thought about giving up, in the past. And I thought to myself, “Maybe I need to adjust my pace and my methods, so that I can fulfill these dreams of mine.”

Hsu Kuai
Wife of Yeh Fa-yuan
I’ve got a good line in leather chat! I can talk about his work in a more indirect, softer, more storytelling kind of way – about where he got the ideas for the piece, or the inspiration behind it.

And Yeh has also made a name for his work worldwide, having pieces exhibited at the Louvre Museum in France. His wife, a former art gallery tour guide, is his marketing manager par excellence.

Yeh Fa-yuan
Leather sculptor
I encounter many difficulties in my work, and I did once think about quitting. The insight which the eagle gives us is that we must have the courage to change and the determination to be reborn.

This series of eagle sculptures, created painstakingly over two years, exhibits the luxurious soft feathers of the bird, as well as their charismatic strength. Like Yeh himself, they swoop low to the ground so as to soar into the sky.

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Wholesale egg prices climb NT$3 as shortages continue around Taiwan

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It’s 6 a.m. but already, a long line has formed outside this egg shop.

At 7:20, the shop finally opens. It’s out of regular white-shelled eggs and brown-shelled eggs, however. The only ones available are special and pricier varieties. But in just one hour, they are all gone.

Member of public
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Ms. Wang
Egg seller
Sourcing these eggs was really difficult. I needed 400 boxes, but I had to go ask around to get 300 of them. People are always lining up. I tell them not to, but they still stand in line. I had no choice but to sell the eggs meant for businesses. But then there were no eggs for the businesses and I got yelled at by my boss.

Avian flu, rising feed prices and poor weather have brought farm prices up. Last March, 600 grams of eggs cost NT$36.5. That price went up by NT$2 in February, and now, on March 6, it’s gone up again, by NT$3. That’s two hikes in just about a month. Wholesale egg prices now stand at NT$55 per 600 grams.

Chen Chiu-chih
Egg farmer
Distributors have come to try and snatch some eggs. They got 12 kilograms of white-shelled eggs for NT$1,300. And think about it, if they go to Taipei, they could sell them for at least NT$1,400 or NT$1,500. I think this egg shortage nightmare will drag on for at least a year.

Chen Chi-chung
Council of Agriculture
We respect the outcome of both market mechanisms. We will continue to bring in eggs as quickly as possible from other areas. We’ll also look for eggs for egg processing firms.

Taiwan has placed an order of 5 million eggs from Australia. The first two batches, totaling 720,000 eggs have already reached Taiwan, and four more batches are scheduled for March. The Council of Agriculture says it will import eggs from other countries as well to get through the shortage.

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Nut producer commits to freezing retail prices, despite rising costs of import

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Hsu Chin-tang
Nut producer strategy director
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Mark Ho
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Mark Ho
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Mark Ho
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