Introduction of Ruifang Fishermen’s Association

The coastline of Ruifang is 12km. Bitou, as one of the fishing ports in Ruifang, has a natural bay with excellent conditions and is the region that has the earliest development in fisheries. Some of the local fishermen even joined Keelung Fishery Union in 1916.

In 1934, the practitioner and fishery proprietor Chien Sung-Lin, who lived in Gengziliao, realized that a successful operation and development in fishery relied on the cooperation and solidarity of fishery proprietors in Ruifang.

He therefore proposed to establish fishery proprietors’ union and named it the Ruifang Village Fishery Proprietors’ Union. At that time, almost a hundred fishery proprietors who lived in Gengziliao and Shenao joined the union.

To respond to this initiative, about 120 fishery proprietors lived in Bitou seceded from Keelung Fishery Union and joined the line. Besides, this union also refused employed fishermen to join and had Chien Sung-Lin elected as the Union President at the union launching ceremony.

At the end of fishing season every year, the union always held a meeting to have fishery proprietors shared their techniques in fisheries and their experiences, to discuss opportunities for cooperation, and to dine together in order to learn from each other and keep a close contact.

In September of 1935, it was decided to separate the union due to a great inconvenience in transportation: Gengziliao Fishery Proprietors' Union, which was in charge of Gengziliao, Bangbang, Ershawan, Shenao, Fanziao and Shuinandong with 153 union members; and Bitou Fishery Proprietors’ Union, which was in charge of Bitou, Nanzilin and Lilao with 151 union members.

The union’s missions included construction and maintenance of port facilities, resolution of disputes among fishermen, rescue assistance and so on. The union presidents were Chien Sung-Lin (Gengziliao) and Chen Peng (Bitou), who both had an employee to take care of related affairs.

In 1941, the Japanese Government merged these two unions and established the Ruifang Street Fishery Union in order to cooperate with the Second World War supplies control and allocation system. The position of Union President was held by the head of street concurrently and the Representative Director was Chien Sung-Lin.

The Union was established in Gengziliao and the branch office was in Bitou. The newly merged union has its missions extended to co-operative marketing of fishing goods, fishing machines, fishermen's foodstuffs, clothes trading and so on. After the restoration of Taiwan, the union was dismissed automatically.

In 1949, Ruifang (Township) Fishermen's Association was established at Haibin Village (originally known as Gengziliao) and a branch office was established in Bitou.

The head office was responsible to take care of fishermen of Shenao and Shuinandong fishing ports, whereas the Bitou office was in charge of fishermen of Bitou and Nanya fishing ports.

Due to the transportation issue that resulted in a difficulty of handling association affairs, Ruibin Fishermen’s Association and Bitou Fishermen’s Association were established respectively in 1952.

The former one was established in Haibin Village and was in charge of areas of Shenao and Shuinandong fishing ports; the latter one was registered in Bitou Village and was in charge of areas of Bitou and Nanya fishing ports. Both associations were operated in accordance with related laws.

In 1975, the Government made amendment on the Fishermen Association Act and regulated that only one fishermen’s association should be established under the same fishing area and inside the same township.

Ruifang Fishermen’s Association and Bitou Fishermen’s Association therefore merged into Ruifang (District) Fishermen’s Association in April of 1976.

To take care of fishermen in a close distance, the head office was established in Shenao Village and a branch office was established in Bitou, which was at the same address of the former Bitou Fishermen’s Association.

Situated in northern Taiwan, Ruifang Fishermen’s Association has the same administrative areas as Ruifang District.

Its west is Keelung Fishermen’s Association, east is Gongliao Fishermen’s Association, north is the Pacific Ocean and South is Shuangxi. Fishing ports including Shenao, Shuinandong, Nanya and Bitou are all under its jurisdiction.