Labor shortage in aquatic product processing 3-1》Spineless milkfish may become extinct in 10 years due to aging manpower and labor shortage

Taiwan has a well-developed aquaculture fishery, and spiny milkfish must be professionally hand-processed to remove the spines before being sold on the shelves. However, many aquatic product processing employees are over 60 years old, and the younger generation lacks interest. Spiny milkfish may disappear from the dining table in 10 years.

The processing plant has a maximum of 15 people and only 1 person is left, "Asan" is the main force

A Xinjiang milkfish processor in Butai Town, Chiayi County said that in the past there were hard-working outsourcers to support the situation, but now most of the new residents have changed their jobs. Taking his processing factory as an example, from a maximum of 15 people to now only one person is left, and young people in Taiwan are unwilling to work The bloody work of killing fish requires nearly 20 employees, only a handful of whom are under the age of 60, and there are only 5 full-time employees, all of whom are middle-aged and elderly housewives doing part-time jobs, so that the processing plant can operate. When these "asans" can no longer do the work, they will have to rely on migrant workers or close down the business.

Xingda Port Fisheries Association is one of the few fishery associations that owns aquatic products processing plants. Director General Guo Zhanhao cited all the processing plants of the association as an example. Among the more than 20 employees, most are in their 60s. "The 40-year-old employees here are young people!" He said that the current problems encountered by aquatic product processing plants are manpower It is aging, and because the working environment of the aquatic product processing plant is at temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius to ensure food safety, and it must be exposed to water, even if the monthly salary is 50,000 yuan, including food and accommodation, it is still difficult for young people to be willing to invest. It is even common to encounter situations such as working for one day and immediately handing in their resignation the next day.

It is difficult to mechanize the processing of aquatic products and must rely on pure labor. It is difficult for young people to stay when exposed to water at low temperatures.

Guo Zhanhao pointed out that many aquatic product processing processes are difficult to mechanize and require pure manual labor, such as dethorning milkfish and cutting eels. It takes more than half a year for manual labor to go from a novice to a veteran. He once wanted to replace it with machinery and asked a world-leading Icelandic manufacturer to develop a milkfish dethorning machine.

Director of Fisheries Department Wang Maocheng: Planning training courses to cultivate more than 100 manpower

Wang Maocheng, director of the Fisheries Department, said that he is currently assisting aquatic product processing plants or the front line of fishery production to introduce many labor-saving machines and tools, and is striving to increase the quota of migrant workers. However, the processes of aquatic products including milkfish debones, eels cut open, and mullet eggs pickled into mullet roe cannot be replaced by machinery. They can only be handled by full manpower. In all traditional industries, With the shortage of workers, it is very difficult to recruit workers in the fishery industry. The Fisheries Department plans to provide lecturers, venues, and material fees to allow interested people to attend a series of training courses on aquatic product thorning, eel dissection, and pickled mullet roe. It hopes to cultivate at least a hundred manpower through the courses, formulate a matching mechanism, and add new blood to aquatic product processing.