Researchers and an entrepreneur talk about their efforts to keep fire fishing alive

Last week, we heard from fire fishermen who use torches to attract fish at night. Their unique fishing method relies on a property of calcium carbide that causes it to ignite in water, producing a small amount of light. With this traditional fishing technique near extinction, a handful of local fishermen and researchers are working together to preserve what they see as an important cultural asset. Tonight in part two of Fishing with Fire, we hear from these researchers, and learn what they are doing to keep fire fishing alive.

Chien Shih-kai, 28, is a fire master. Five years ago he decided to come back to Jinshan to work on a fire-fishing boat. Unfortunately, his timing couldn’t have been worse.

Chien Shih-kai
Fire master
In the past, when there were more fish in the water, we could pull in about 400 to 500 baskets with our nighttime and morning hauls combined. That year I came back we were lucky to bring in about 80 baskets. The situation is really bad. Before, 80 baskets in one day would already be considered a very small amount. Nowadays, we might pull in just over 80 baskets over the course of five or six days.

Chang Cheng-liang
Professor
According to research by Professor Lee Ming-an at National Taiwan Ocean University, water temperatures along the northern coast of Taiwan have gone up quite a bit. When the water warms up, there are some fish that aren’t able to deal with the higher temperatures, and they simply won’t come near the shore.

After the 1970s the temperature in waters near Taiwan rose continuously, going up be as much as 2 degrees in waters near the northern coast. Researchers believe this may have influenced the behavior of fish. To make matters worse, 80% of commercially fished species worldwide have been overfished over the past half century. For the past decade, Taiwan’s near-water fisheries have seen catches drop to half previous numbers. Then, in 2016, stocks of Japanese sardinella near New Taipei City’s Shihmen District were further impacted by an oil spill.

Kuo Ching-lin
Cultural historian
On March 10, 2016 there was an oil spill from a TS Lines cargo ship that ran aground. Before that accident there was a previous one in the same place – near the Temple of the Eighteen Lords. Eight years before the TS Lines accident there was a Panama-registered cargo ship that sank in that area and leaked oil. From that experience, we learned that it takes at least five years for the affected area of the ocean from such an accident to be restored, to recover.

Facing the challenges of climate change, overfishing and pollution, fire fishers once again find their livelihood imperiled.

Chien Kun
Chien Shih-kai’s father
I told him that things are not good. It’s not good to get into the fisheries now. It’s not just our own livelihoods, you have a crew of six, seven or eight fishers on the boat. You have to take care of those people. If you can’t afford your livelihood, you will be under great stress. If you really can’t make it work, don’t drag others down with you.

On the shoulders of this young person is the weight of six or seven families. Whether to give up or keep fighting is a tremendously difficult decision.

Luckily, there are others like him who want to fight on.

In this container is a small catch of Japanese sardinella. A small group of local fire fishers hope to create a new market for the fish by working with a Japanese restaurant.

Lai Chia-hao
Entrepreneur
By working with a local Japanese restaurant we are developing dishes with the fish. We hope that one day it can gain a following just like Wanli Crab. When people visit New Taipei’s Wanli District they eat Wanli Crab, and we hope they will come to Jinshan to eat Japanese sardinella dishes, when the fish is in season.

Currently, Japanese sardinella are sold to fish farmers as feed for groupers, fetching between NT$4 and NT$5 per catty–about 600 grams. Some feel this to be a wasteful use of the nutritious Japanese sardinella.

Chang Yu-wei
National Taiwan Ocean University
The fatty acids of this fish contain omega-3 in the form of EPA and DHA. These things are beneficial to the brain and nervous system. The Japanese sardinella has roughly 4.7 grams of EPA per serving and 6.5 grams of DHA. This is higher than the standard amount found in other fish, including deep-sea fish.

Aside from its benefits when used in cuisine, Japanese sardinella can also be used in nutritional supplements.

Lai Chia-hao
Entrepreneur
There was a period of a few years when chicken essence was a hot product. Later on this was followed by sea-bass essence, milkfish essence and beef essence. If we could apply the same high-temperature, high-pressure process to Japanese sardinella to extract its essence, its value woul