A union-like organization, with a 300-man staff serving its 30,000 fishing industry representatives and 2,500 fishing boats, the association last year recorded a domestic trade volume of NT$5.43 billion (US$143 million) and foreign sales of NT$20 billion (US$526 million)—a significant contribution to the ROC economy.
At this point, 68 of the association's 2,500 fishing vessels are squid boats, representing a booming squid harvesting rush that began just a few years ago. Squid is a popular food in the Orient and, lately, exports to Western countries have been rising.
The engines roared. In the air, there was a decided reek of fish. The underlying excitement that is an integral part of seagoing scenes pervaded Kaohsiung's Chienchen fishing harbor. Amid all this, The Sincerity (Hsin Chi Hsing) was, once again, at the threshold of a two-month sailing voyage across the furrowed waters of the boundless Pacific.
Sunburned, and with gray already streaking his deep black hair, Captain Chen Yu-lung, 44, was all smiles as he noted the dwindling threat of Typhoon Peggy: "We're heading north-northeast to the North Pacific, where we will take on cargos from our squid ships there and deliver them to Kaohsiung."
General manager Chuang Tsai-chuan of the Kaohsiung Fishermen's Association –Pinpointing a squid breeding ground.
The Sincerity had been home less than a month, its captain noted. "But there is heavy competition, and we want to be where the action is. We charge NT$12 (about US$0.32) per kilogram to deliver the squid to Kaohsiung. The volume and frequency of our deliveries decides our income-the very toys we buy our children." The captain pointedly noted the potential threat of two new fish delivery boats in the Kaohsiung fleet.
The Sincerity's chief mate, Chen Yu-shan, the captain's elder brother, was servicing a deep-sea electronic squid detector, protruding from the starboard stern. Sincerity fishes herself when she chooses to. The detector can spot squid schools as deep as 150 to 170 feet in daytime, 80 to 100 feet at night, and there is an assist from special lights at the roofedge of the cabin.
Once it fathoms the depth and volume of the school, the detector proceeds to mastermind the movements of two giant wire cages-up and down, up and down, trapping squid from the great aquarium and bringing them to Sincerity's small deck. On a regular squid hunting ship, a row of a half dozen or so detectors works this routine simultaneously. For Sincerity however, according to the chief mate, squid fishing is a side operation, more of an entertainment for Sincerity's 16-man crew during otherwise idle periods.
Sincerity now weighs in at 1,000 tons. A month previously, she was filled with 5,000 tons of squid, on her way home from Falkland Islands waters. That cargo sold out almost overnight at a crack price—about NT$60 (US$1.58) per kilogram, double that of last year—because of a supply shortage on the domestic squid market in the wake of the armed Argentine attack on the ROC squid ship Hsien Teh III.
Determined squid fishing was inaugurated in Falkland Islands waters in 1984, when a ROC fishing fleet first sought out this reputed "Eldorado of squid." Operations in these seas produced a total ROC catch of 52,000 tons of squid last year, according to Wu Jung-lung, manager of the Kaohsiung fish market, an economic operation of the Kaohsiung Fishermen's Association.
The frozen squid are unloaded from Sincerity's hold by her crew.
ROC fishermen pursue the Falkland Islands squid annually from late January to mid June, during that part of the life cycle of the tasty sea creature ranging from the 200-gram juvenile to the 800-gram mature state. The 200-500 gram catch is sold directly to Japanese fish delivery boats. The 500-800-gram squid are delivered by boats like the Sincerity to Kaohsiung for ROC domestic consumption.
"This is efficient—helps save time and fuel for the fish delivery cycle. In this way, our fishermen around the world bring in about 70,000 tons of squid yearly, with 20 to 30 thousand tons of that shipped directly to Japan," Wu noted.
This year, the Falkland Islands fishery attracted about 50 fishing boats from Japan and South Korea as well as the 63 ROC boats. And almost automatically, according to Wu, the volume of activity engendered by this "squid fever" provoked a British declaration (May 1986) of a 150-nautical mile Falkland territorial area. The Argentine attack on the Hsien Teh III then provoked a premature ban on fishing in the designated area by British Falkland authorities.
"But in Falkland waters 150 to 200 nautical miles out, there are plentiful squid, and our boats are reportedly continuing to make good catches, though their magnitude has likely declined from last year's levels," said Wu. The boats end their fishing operations in the Falkland area in mid-July and return to Kaohsiung.
However, the squid fishing fleet then resumes operations, heading for the squid-fishing grounds of the North Pacific after just a short interval in port for replenishment of both men and boats. "They are essentially on the seas year round. They can never stop since squid fisheries are limited and competition is active," said Wu.
Wu Ching-feng (no relation), general manager of the Shin Ho Sing Ocean Enterprise Co., Ltd., the leading squid processor on Taiwan, commented on the intensive squid fishing operations: "We never worry about our boats and fishermen. They are the best 'team' in the world—efficient and hardworking. But we do worry about the resource. Will the squid fisheries someday dry up?"
The major squid breeding areas of the world include the North Pacific, and New Zealand and Falkland Island waters. Restrictions are now being imposed by the British on Falkland Island waters, and New Zealand fishing is subject to prearranged license registrations for foreign fishing boats. The North Pacific is restricted also for ROC squid ships as a result of prohibitions relating to the salmon catch in those waters, according to Charles Lin, general manager of Cheer Year Frozen Foods Co., Ltd., another leading squid processor.
Delectable, ready-to-eat squid slices, on their way to packaging.
Squid processing demands sophisticated assemblyline operations, since the several species of squid necessitate different processing methods. ROC fishermen and squid processors know the squid of the North Pacific as "red squid" because of their color, while the squid of New Zealand waters are simply labeled "southerners;" Falkland Island squid are referred to as "Fu squid" in concert with the Chinese name for the islands—Fu Ke Lan.
The Fu and southerner squid, tough and slim, are destined for cooking after a natural preservation process of sun-and-wind drying. The red squid, on the other hand, grow plump and collosal, weighing in at 3-5 kilograms, and are perfect for assemblyline processing into snacks-soft, delectable squid threads and chewable squid slices-and juicy squid steaks.
After defreezing, the red squid are cleansed, eviscerated, skinned, and segmented via the expert hands of women workers. About 15 minutes later, the squid segments are carried by conveyor belt to a washer and, minutes after, conveyed by a toothed automatic ladder to a boiler. Leaving that, they proceed to cooling, classification, and then to first-time spice-dipping and baking processes. And now the "edible rubber" is halfway to consumer palates.
The process continues through a row of rotary ovens for mixing with salt-and, again, spice-and baking. Then the final steps-weighing and packing.
"The processing determines both flavor and quality and, especially, nutrition," notes Shin Ho Sing factory manager Ho lung-pao. "Most important is the prescription for spices, which requires a perfect combination of human calculations and efficient mechanical execution."
To assure quality control, according to Ho, the factory's QC and R&D sector, manned by 7 specialists, engages in repetitive microbial and microchemistry testing and infrared screening for humidity. The team also engages in research towards development of new products. Currently, the factory operates on an eight-hour day and, with a work force of about 300, turns out 1 ton of squid steaks and 3 tons of squid threads, slices, and parts daily.
In 1979, Shin Ho Sing was the unique squid processor in Taiwan; in 1985, 14 more processors emerged. Last year-in less than two years-only eight of these survived. Now, just six remain, with only two-Shin Ho Sing and Cheer Year-full-distance runners.
Boiled squid pieces go through a cooling process.
Shin Ho Sing has concentrated on product development, taking the lead in such offerings as squid croquettes, squid doughnuts, and, especially, squid steak. Last year, squid steak appeared on the U.S. market under its Italian—name frozen calamari steak. Currently Shin Ho Sing exports 30 tons a month of squid steak to the U.S.
Meanwhile, Cheer Year, which operates its processing lines only for four hours a day, is taking the opportunity offered by its "business slump" to enlarge its factory space to accommodate new management offices. "We want to adjust and equip ourselves for future competition. This year we won't grow much over last year's level of NT$80 million (US$2.1 million)," said Charles Lin; "next year will be different."