Successors Hard to Find: Taiwan’s Only Remaining Century-Old Fishing Method “Benghuozi” Faces Extinction

▲ Sardines are attracted by the light of the “Benghuozi” flames and leap out of the water in a spectacular scene. (Photo / Reporter Xu Wenbin, same below)

Reporter Chen Ruizhong / New Taipei City Reporting

Every year in the nights after mid-May, small explosions can occasionally be heard across the vast ocean near Jinshan, followed by dazzling flames flickering at the bow of fishing boats. Then, after a short, sharp whistle, everything returns to darkness and silence once more. This seemingly mysterious ritual is actually Taiwan’s only remaining traditional fishing method — “Benghuozi.”

As early as over a hundred years ago, the Basay people living in the Jinshan area had already learned to use firelight to attract and catch phototactic fish at night. Over time, fishermen evolved from using bamboo torches and kerosene lamps to employing a mineral known colloquially as “flint stone,” which, when soaked in water, produces acetylene gas that is then ignited. The brilliant flare attracts phototactic “sardines,” and because the ignition process produces a sound similar to an explosion, it came to be called“Benghuozi”.

▲ Due to industrial changes, only four fishing boats in Jinshan still use the Benghuozi method today.

According to local veteran skippers, the most important roles on a Benghuozi fishing boat are the skipper who holds the torch, the helmsman, and the fisherman at the back who controls the “forked net” with whistle signals.

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Taking a closer look at a Benghuozi fishing boat, it turns out the skipper first uses a searchlight to scan the nearby waters. Once a school of fish is spotted, he will ignite the flint stone with a “bang” and move close to the water surface. At this point, the sardines leap out of the water, and fishermen on the left side of the boat open the forked net in preparation for scooping them up. As the skipper guides the fish toward the left rear of the boat with the flare, the forked net is thrust forward to scoop them in. When the whistle sounds, everyone works together to haul in the catch. The techniques of igniting, guiding, scooping, and lifting the net rely heavily on precise timing and accumulated experience, representing a unique skill of Jinshan fishermen.

▲ This spectacular scene becomes a much-sought-after subject for photographers every year.

Xu Zhengcheng, Chairman of the New Taipei City Jinshan District Leisure and Tourism Association,said that the peak season for “Benghuozi” is from mid-May to mid-September each year, with a record of up to 1,200 baskets of sardines caught in a single day. During this period, the Gangkou Harbor is often filled with photography enthusiasts using long lenses to capture the fishing scenes. For those wanting to get a closer view and take photos, there are also special photography boats available for booking to take passengers out to sea.

▲ A bountiful catch is the result of a fisherman’s hard work throughout the night.

Xu Zhengcheng said with deep feeling that in the past, there were over twenty Benghuozi fishing boats during their heyday, but with changes in the fishing industry, only four remain today, and most of the fishermen aboard are in their 30s and 40s. The younger generation is mostly unwilling to engage in this weather-dependent maritime work.

 With no successors in sight, the inheritance and future of the Benghuozi technique represent the biggest challenge facing this traditional industry.

% At 5 seconds and 30 seconds, you can hear the whistle for hauling in the net, and at 20 seconds, you can hear the “bang” of the flint being ignited.