The 21st century is the century of embracing oceans. Kaohsiung City has a coastline of 65 kilometers and 16 fishing harbors. Kaohsiung has diversified marine culture and abundant aquatic products due to rivers and harbors.
As for aquaculture, the total aquaculture area is 4,000 hectares, and the fishery product accounts for 58% of national fishery products. There are seven fisherman’s associations in Kaohsiung City, with 75,000 members in the association. Through guiding fisherman’s groups, we promote the development in aquaculture (see picture 1) and fry industry and development fishery souvenirs of delicate and local characteristics. We also established a safety and hygiene management system for fishery products, which not only strengthens the promotion of domestic fishery, but also assists fishermen to expand markets overseas (see picture 2). Other than aquaculture, the Bureau’s visions also includes the guidance in the development of distant water and inshore fishery, promotion for the transformation of coastal fishery, and strengthening the sustainable use of fishery.
In order to promote diversified marine culture and recreation, the bureau has strengthened fishing harbor constructions (see picture 3), maintenance and management, which establishes recreation facilities and rebuilds the landscape of fishing harbors and implements the use of multi-functions of fishing harbors. In addition, we also greatly promote yacht (see picture 4) and cruise liner industries (see picture 5). There are 17 yacht plants in Kaohsiung (accounting for 80% of national gross output value), and the blue highway in the ocean that has been promoting in recent years also extends people’s vision from land to the ocean and allows people of the ocean to have a better understanding of marine resources.
However, when promoting the development in marine industry, the concept of unlimited marine resources shall not exist in the thinking of a fishing country. Ocean protection becomes the tenet of Kaohsiung. Thus, we strive for promoting ocean pollution prevention, marine cultural education and protection on marine resources (see picture 6), which makes Kaohsiung a true “ocean capital.”