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Marlin is one of the quickest large fish species in the ocean. They can weight hundreds of kilograms and are naturally aggressive. However, there are a group of spear fishermen in Taiwan who catch marlin with just a spear. A Town Called Success, a documentary produced by PTS in 2013, documents the story of a marlin spear fishing boat.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the strong northeastern winds begin to blow, bringing black marlin back to the eastern waters of Taiwan. Hsin-kang Fishing Harbor (or Chenggong Fishing Harbor) in Taitung still has fishing boats that still use traditional marlin spear fishing methods. They fish for marlin slowly, one fish at a time ― a highly targeted and sustainable fishing method.
Dr. Jiang Wei-Chuan (Deputy Researcher of the Eastern Marine Biology Research Center, Fisheries Research Institute) pointed out that marlin spear fishing is a special fishing technique that started during the Japanese occupation. After the construction of Hsin-kang Fishing Harbor in 1932, Japanese fishermen came and brought with them the marlin spear fishing technique. Fishermen from Green Island, Hengchun, and the Amis tribe joined in and formed the culture of Chenggong marlin spear fishing, which has been passed on to this day.
At its height, marline spear fishing boats could be found in many harbors along Taiwan’s east coast, including Badouzi in Keelung, Nanfangao in Yilan, and Houbihu in Hengchun. However, due to changes in the fishing grounds and new fishing techniques, there are only a few marlin spear fishing boats left in the aforementioned harbors. As of today, only Shih-t'i Fishing Harbor in Hualien and Chenggong Fishing Harbor in Taitung still have relatively more marlin spear fishing boats, preserving the culture of spear fishing.
Because the marlin spear fishing boats rely on the eyes of the captain and crew members to find the marlin, the boats must depart before sunrise and arrive at the fishing grounds at day break in order to have more time to fish. In order to allow all members of the crew to have enough energy for the day, the marlin spear fishing boats have dedicated staff to prepare breakfast. The crew must finish their breakfast on the boat before departing. The marlin spear fishing boats return after midday. If the fishing conditions are ideal on the day, the boats may return around dusk in order to catch a few more marlin.
In our imagination, fishing boats only depart when the sea is calm. However, Dr. Jiang Wei-Chuan pointed out that, marlins are easier to find in bad weather. So, marlin spear fishing boats will choose days with strong winds and light rain to fish. On the contrary, when the weather is perfect, the fishermen would stay in town to drink and chat. Therefore, “chaser of wind and waves” is the perfect way to describe a marlin spear fishing boat.
Trident harpoons are used for marlin spear fishing. Generally, a boat will carry 1 to 3 harpoons. A harpoon is around 6 meters in length and weighs up to 20 kilograms. Although the weight and length of the harpoon can be adjusted according to the captain’s preference, the harpoon is still long and heavy and requires skill and strength to use.
The signature characteristic of the marline spear fishing boats is the harpoon platform on the bow. This narrow platform leans forward from the hull of the boat and is installed with canvass foot holds for the fishermen to secure their feet. Without guardrails and other safety equipment, the fishermen must raise the harpoon with both hands at a height around one story above the ocean surface. They must adapt to the ebb and flow of the wind and waves and the movement of the boat to harpoon marlin. This process is frightening and accidents and injuries happen every year or two.
The marlin harpoon fishing boats are crewed by a maximum of five crew members. The captain is responsible for clearly delegating the work. When a crew member spots signs of marlin, either an exposed dorsal fin or caudal fin, the first and second harpooners must quickly climb to the platform with a harpoon. The crew member standing behind the harpooner is responsible for tracking the movement of the marlin. They use different hand gestures to signal the helmsman to change the speed and direction of the boat. The first harpooner leads the harpooning of the marlin, with the second harpooner assisting him. Sometimes both crew members are needed to increase the chance of success. From this, we can see that harpooning takes a very high level of skill and teamwork. The captain and the crew members must be completely in sync.
After the marlin is hit by the harpoon, it will struggle and try to escape. The fishing boat will chase the fish until it is completely exhausted. The crew members will then pull the marlin into the boat together. During this process, the marlin never relaxes its muscles due to the large amount of movement, which is similar to the blood-letting process, resulting in high quality meat and good prices. In comparison, marline caught through other techniques can only be sold for less than half the price. Although the market price for the marlin is good, harpooning marlin is not as efficient as other fishing techniques. With the dangers involved with marline harpoon fishing, the youth of the community are not willing to learn, which means this tradition may be lost to time like other folk techniques.
In order to promote and preserve the culture of marlin harpoon fishing, Taitung County Government has listed the fishing technique as a Taitung County cultural asset in 2019. The county government and Hsin-kang Fishermen Association also organizes an annual marlin harpooning competition. The competition period for this year was from October 18 to November 16, lasting 30 days. The annual marlin harpooning king (heaviest in weight) and most caught awards was announced on November 21. Both awards were won by the fishing boat Xin Qu Hou.
Now, when we go to Taitung Chenggong Fishing Harbor, we can not only see the production of marlin but also the selling and buying of marlin in the fish market by the harbor. The harpoon boats start to return to the harbor after 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. If they caught any marlin they would auction them off in the fish market. This is the best time to visit the fish auctions and watch the auctioneer shouting the prices for the fish. Besides marlin, the fish auctioned on the day of the interview also included mahi-mahi, which are one of the most important fish exported from Taiwan.
Besides visiting the harbor fish market to watch the auctions, Wanshan Temple, located by the harbor, also worships the only marlin god in Taiwan. The statue of the marlin god is 3.6 meters in length and weighs 200 kilograms. The statue was carved and placed in the temple in 2000. Fishermen with different beliefs would all come to Wanshan Temple to pray to the marlin god for blessings, a bountiful trip, and protection for the crew during marlin season.
The episode takes you to Chenggong Township in Taitung County to visit deputy researcher Jiang Wei-Chuan of the Eastern Marine Biology Research Center, Fisheries Research Institute. He is also a native of Chenggong Township. He will tell us about the fishing method that has been passed down for decades and take you on a tour of the marlin auctions in Chenggong fish market.
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