Yuan Gang Fishing Harbor Introduction
Formerly known as Yuánlǐ Port, it derives its name from its location at the river mouth of the Yuánlǐ River, serving as the entry and exit port for the area after Tǔdìgōng Port. According to Cai Zhenfeng's "Yuánlǐ Record", Yuánlǐ Port is relatively wide and deep, allowing for the mooring of many merchant ships, with masts standing tall and numerous boats gathering. Yuán Port’s mooring site was listed as one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Péngshān. After the Japanese occupation, the port was forbidden to operate with China, leading to its decline. Around the 80th year of the Republic of China, it was developed into a tourist fishing port, offering seafood snacks, sea fishing, and net-fishing among other recreational activities. The "Yuán Port Tourist Fishing Harbor" is located at the northern end of the seashore in Yuánlǐ Township. Originally an easy boat bay shaped like a river mouth, it has gradually developed into a tourist fishing harbor through planning and construction. It features a fishermen's activity center, a viewing tower, children's play equipment, a barbecue area, shaded flower arches, a performance square, a processing and supplementing area, a direct sales center, shellfish farming ponds, a camping area, parking lots, walking paths, arched bridges, and pavilions. The square on the west side has been developed with green spaces, a sports square, and a nostalgic light vehicle path for the public to run, exercise, fly kites, watch sunsets, and listen to the waves, making it a multifunctional recreational fishing harbor. Here, visitors can not only purchase fresh seafood but also enjoy recreational activities like fishing from the shore, taking kids to fly kites, or digging for clams, catching shrimp and crabs, playing in the sand, and sharing joyous family moments. However, being a fishing port, the most attractive feature is undoubtedly the fresh seafood! The market fish auction at Yuán Port Tourist Fishing Harbor takes place every morning at 6:30 AM, where freshly caught fish are auctioned off to market vendors and restaurant operators. Naturally, many locals wake up early to select fish for home cooking, as the seafood here is fresher and cheaper than that sold in markets, making it well worth the early morning trip. The activity center of Yuán Port Tourist Fishing Harbor also has a restaurant serving freshly caught seafood to visitors, with the dishes depending on what the fishing boats have caught that day, ensuring freshness and deliciousness. If you arrive at the fishing harbor in the afternoon, don’t miss the beautiful sunset at Yuán Port Tourist Fishing Harbor, where golden rays shimmer on the glassy waves, while listening to the sound of the sea and watching the surrounding glow transition from passionate reddish-brown to gentle golden hues. It is a mood-lifting experience, and many tourists come specifically to enjoy the sunset here! The "Yuánlǐ Fish Balls" are well-known far and wide. The Yuán Port Tourist Fishing Harbor is a typical sandy shore along the western coastline, with significant tidal differences, a gently sloping, wide beach, and a long and deep intertidal zone, which allows for rich coastal fishery resources. The main fish caught in spring includes mullet, mackerel, pomfret, and ribbonfish, while summer and autumn bring catch like squid, flounder, shrimp, and crabs, and winter mainly yields black fish, mullet, mackerel, pomfret, and ribbonfish. Fresh seafood can be enjoyed year-round due to abundant seasonal catches. In the Yuánlǐ area, the production of dogfish and hammerhead sharks is very high. However, shortly after the end of Japanese rule, transportation was inconvenient and both types of sharks are not durable for long storage. Whenever the fishing season yields an oversized catch, supplies often exceed demand, causing an imbalance between production and sales. Fishermen began making fish balls from these sharks to resolve this imbalance. As the fish balls are made from fresh sharks caught along the coast, they are fragrant, chewy, and delicious, both in texture and elasticity, which has led to their great popularity. Thus, "Yuánlǐ Fish Balls" have gained a reputation and become a well-known specialty throughout Taiwan.
