Managing a Hub: Regional Networks, Trade Governance, and Business Culture of Taiwanese Milkfish Sector

臺灣虱目魚產業的區域網絡、貿易治理及與商業文化

鄭肇祺(Eric Siu-kei CHENG)

《中國飲食文化》 15卷2期 (2019/10) Pp. 55-113

摘要

Market, governance, and business organization are interlocked to affect milkfish harvesting, processing, and distribution. This article explores how processer-traders in Simu, a milkfish hub located in southwest Taiwan, manage businesses of milkfish distribution and processing. Their business culture is tied to economic decisions influenced by the livelihoods of their families and community members. I adopted participant observation, in-depth interviews, and document analysis in this ethnographic research conducted in July 2012, and between January 2014 and April 2015. This article first explores the domestic milkfish wholesaling and distribution system; it then documents the development of low-temperature milkfish supply chains; it also discusses trade liberalization, governance, and processor-traders' business strategies; last but not least, it analyzes the business culture of processor-traders. The experiences of processor-traders show that cooperation and competition co-exist in Taiwanese milkfish sector as the mixed strategies of business people to survive in the market. In conclusion, I suggest that the analytical framework of petty capitalism can be applied to rural Taiwan with a careful analysis of the characteristics of agro-food products during production, post-harvest handling, processing, distribution, and marketing. I argue that regional network across time and space, sub-contract networks, cultural practices, and adaptation to market changes are key factors contributing to rural petty capitalism, livelihoods fishemen's and communities, and the low-temperature seafood supply chain in Taiwan.

關鍵字

milkfish ； hub ； market ； processing ； supply chain

並列摘要

虱目魚是臺灣家喻戶曉的養殖魚種，南部喜吃全魚，而北部近年的料理方式則以魚丸湯、魚肚粥等菜式為主。筆者進行田野調查的嘉義縣漁村，除了一直是虱目魚批發的集散地外，從90年代起亦以虱目魚初級加工處理場（以魚肚為主要產品）聞名於業內，為臺灣國內市場供應近百分之七十的虱目魚。此類加工處理場為什麼會出現在漁村內？為村內的虱目魚產業帶來什麼變化？本文以田野及文獻資料探討此問題。虱目魚人工繁殖技術的突破，讓此魚種的消費得以大眾化；可是，生產量激增的情況卻帶來了產銷失衡的後果。在治理的層面，國家及縣政府對養殖漁業的干預及改革，促進了產銷班的形成，以團體組織加強產業的加工及銷售模式，意圖解決產銷問題。過往研究及評論一般皆止於此，鮮有提及加工場的實際運作及其與社區及產業的關係。筆者認為，虱目魚產業的分析需要同時結合商業文化的角度，我們才能了解漁民如果從中獲得經營水產生意的機會，成為人類學家常提及的小商人（petty capitalists），改善個人、家庭及村子的經濟狀況，同時為產業尋找出路。過去應用在臺灣都市人類學的小商人理論框架（petty capitalism），可以應用於鄉鎮臺灣的討論，但就要充分分析涉及的農漁產品在生產、收穫、處理、加工、運銷及行銷過程中的特性。筆者將描述各種經營模式，並分析小商人作為水產中間人所呈現的商業策略，從中為臺灣講求水產加值的治理提供建議，同時從理論層面論述臺灣的小商人文化如何於鄉村社會中延續及變異。

並列關鍵字

虱目魚 ； 集散地 ； 市場 ； 處理加工 ； 供應鏈

參考文獻

Andreatta, Susan and Anne Parlier. 2010. “The Political Ecology of Small-scale Commercial Fishermen in Carteret County, North Carolina." Human Organization 69.2: 180-91.

Bestor, Theodore. 2004. Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the Center of the World. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

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Chen, Yu-hui, Chia-yi Cheng, Chung-chang Chen, Wu-chung Lee, and I-chiu Liao. 2010. "The Effective Way to Ease Price Fluctuation: A Case Study on Taiwan's Milkfish Industry." In Milkfish Aquaculture in Asia, edited by I-chiu Liou and 29 Eduardo Leaño. Taipei: High Point, 177-86.

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