The fish marketing in Taiwan area, besides in the case fo operation fishing boats of overseas sites where the fishing harvest is directly sold at overseas sites and partial fishing product for direct sale or storage in freezwe, the rest is all for trade in fish market. At present, there are 37 fish markets in production areas and 22 fish market in consumption areas. In 1994, the total fisheries production volume of Taiwan area is 1,255,237 tons, with overseas sale of 398,716 M.T. and domestic sale of 835,403 M.T. (direct sale and freezer storage volume at 254,376 M.T.; the trade volume of the fish market at the production areas is 415,607 M.T. and the trade volume in the fish market of consumption areas is 165,429 M.T.) The trade value of fish market at the fish market of production areas is NT$ 16,683.74 millions which fish market of consumption areas is NT$10,736.13 millions.
In order to upgrade the operation performance of fish market, the goverment has actively guided a fish market to strengthen its personnel affair, finance and business management, and assist it to supplement equipment or remove or expand construction for the fish market with limited area. Besideds a fish market of production location is continuously expanded in construction for compliance with fishing harbor construction and increase of fishing boat, the completed fish markets of consumption areas in construction include the removal construction of such 4 fish markets of Chiayi, Hsinchu, Puhsin and Taichung, etc. The restshall be conducted in compliance with local financial capactity in separate years. Besides, the fishing product freezer and refrigerator are also installed with due support to upgrade the fishing product storage volume, preserve freshness of fishing product and adjust the function of production adn sale. In order to ensure the consumer's health, maintain reputation of producers, at 19 major fish markets, fishing kproduct sanitation inspection offices are installed. In order to upgrade the service quality of fish market, assist a fish market in its equipments related to account calculation by computer, recording auction, and close-circuit TV, etc., at present, the accounting operation of more than 50% fish markets are computerized. In order to help fishermen to rapidly get access to the market prices of fish and sell fishing product with the most favorable method, the government already established telecommunication information to establish fishing price market report system by reporting the fish prices of 9 production areas, 8 consumption areas, and 20 wholesale market. It also promotes fishing price telephone vocal inquiry system since 1996.
Because the transition of public consumption pattern, fishing product handling and sale system shall be duly adjusted accordingly. The govermment already guided the production, manufacturing, and sale industry groups of fishing product to conduct domestic and voerseas sale
promotion activities and guided the fishermens' association of each area to perform direct sale of fishing product, establish brand by providing such small packages of raw fish slice, hard clam, fresh water clam, shrimp and crad, etc. to comply with tasting activity to develop market and increase sale promotion channel. At present, it has guided the fishermens' association of each area to perform direct by providing such small packages of raw fish slice, hard clam, fresh water clam, shrimp and crab, etc. to comply with tasting activity to develop market and increase sale promotion channel. At present, it has guided the fishermens' associations of 19 areas, organized 243 shifts of aquaculture fishing product production & sale shift, 162 shifts of
coastal/offshore fishery production and sale shift to conduct the handling & sale business for aquaclture, coastal/offshore frozen and refrigerated fishing product, and install fishing product direct sale centers in view of the local requirement. The completed ones include 3 places of Wuchih, Fuchi, and Keelung, etc. Other places under preparation include Wanli, Hsinchu, Taoyuan, Toucheng, and Shoufeng, etc. They will develop fishing product adjustment function, increase the handling & sale channels, strengthen handling % sale groups to promote handling & sale business, and supply foods other than the staple food of the national army. The annual spply volume of 1994 is 73,000 M.T.. Besides, production & handling management publicity education is also performed by producing TV publicity programs. During these 3 years, more than 150 titles of Fishing Scene, already fully developing the publicity function of diversified production and sale. It has guided 19 fishermens' associations to operate joint handling and sale business of fish product. In 1994, the volume of joint handling and sale business of fishing product reaches 40,000 M.T., accounting for 25% of the trade volume of the fish market at consumption areas, with great contribution in shortening fish product handling & sale channels and increasing the income of fishermen.
In accompany with economic liberalization, R.O.C. will participate in WTO. In order to upgrade operation of fish market, from now on, it will make effort towards the following directions: establish sound fish product production & sale system, promote automation of handling & sale operation, raise handling & sale performance, strengthen in direct handling & sale, build. handling & sale channels of domestic aquicultural product, improve fresh maintenance, packaging, and handling of refrigerated fish product in order to develop fresh fish market, strengthen the market segregation of imported frozen fish product from overseas, upgrade the processing levels of the aquaxulture product by promotion refined, diversified, fast, and recreational feotures so as to expand the processing product market of fish product of medium and lower classes, improve alive aquacultural product handling technology and promote aquacultural product export business. The govermment, in order to stabilize fish price, in accordance with the regulations set forth in 〝Rules of Income, Expense, Custody and Operation of Agricultural Product Leveling Fund〞stipulated by the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, requires that as the fishing product price in the wholesale market has reached more than 130% or less than 80% of the levelingprice for 5 continued days, the fund will start in operation to stabilize the fishing price.