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Penghu businesses raise weather woes

Tourism-related businesses in Penghu County are concerned that the recent cold snap, which is the worst in three decades and has also dealt a heavy blow to the islands' fish farming industry over the past three weeks, is keeping tourists at bay.

Local business operators say the cold weather has killed off a great deal of produce raised by aquaculturists and damaged natural marine resources.

Extensive media reports on the damage sustained during the Lunar New Year holidays will make it harder to attract tourists to the islands, which are known for their seafood, during the peak spring season, they said.

Fish farming and tourism are the two main businesses on the archipelago, which is located approximately 50km off the coast of the Taiwanese mainland.

Any slowdown in tourism would have a knock-on effect on other businesses on Penghu, businesspeople said.

Penghu tourism association chairman Yeh Chu-lin (葉竹林) said the central and local governments should reassure tourists that the seafood on Penghu is as good as ever.

"It is true that some species of fish have declined during the recent cold weather, but some of Penghu's other specialities, such as deep-sea fish, have not been affected," Yeh said.

Chen Tien-shou (陳添壽), deputy director-general of the Fisheries Administration, led an 11-member group on an inspection tour of Penghu on Saturday to explore means of assisting the county.

Chen instructed Cheng Ming-yuan (鄭明源), the county's fishery bureau chief, to step up efforts to get the message out that "Penghu is not running out of top quality seafood."
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