Did You Know? 9 in 10 of Taiwan’s Mackerel Land at One Harbor

Here’s a fun one for your next seafood dinner: more than 90% of the mackerel caught in Taiwan comes into one harbor. It’s Nanfang’ao (南方澳), a small, colorful fishing town in Su’ao Township on Yilan’s rocky northeast coast. Locals call it 「鯖魚的故鄉」, the hometown of mackerel. Right now is the best time to visit, because the peak season runs from October through January.

Two mackerels, one harbor

The Nanfang’ao boats bring in two species. 花腹鯖, the spotted or blue mackerel, has the speckled belly. 白腹鯖, the chub mackerel, has the clean silver one. The rich fishing grounds off Taiwan’s northeast coast sit right on Nanfang’ao’s doorstep. The harbor has been working since the 1920s and counts among Taiwan’s three great coastal fishing ports. Come in the morning, when the boats unload before about 10 a.m., and you’ll see crates of silver-blue fish being unloaded at the docks.

How Taiwan eats it

• Salt-grilled mackerel (鹽烤鯖魚): crisp skin, a squeeze of lemon, and a bowl of rice. It’s a lunchbox and set-meal classic.
• Tomato-sauce mackerel in a can (蕃茄鯖魚): a pantry staple across Taiwan. It shows up in congee, on top of rice, and in a lot of late-night instant noodles.
• Fish balls and fish paste: the port’s seafood stalls grind the catch into bouncy balls and thick soups. It’s the same springy texture you’ll know from Tamsui’s famous fish ball soup.

The Mackerel Festival and a Golden Mazu

Every fall the town throws a Mackerel Festival (鯖魚節) at its Third Fishing Harbor. There are seafood stalls, boat races, fish ball DIY, and free mackerel rice bowls for whoever lines up early. The 2025 edition was the 29th and took place over a weekend at the turn of October and November. Check Yilan County’s event listings for this year’s dates before you go.

While you’re there, walk up to Nantian Temple (南天宮) on the harbor front. Its Mazu, the sea goddess who watches over Taiwan’s fishing fleets, is cast from roughly 200 kilograms of pure gold. Upstairs is a second Mazu, carved from a jade block weighing several tons. A fishing town that depends on the sea has good reason to honor the goddess who protects it.

The takeaway

The next time you see mackerel on a Taiwanese menu, it very likely came through Nanfang’ao. If you’re heading east this season, pair the harbor with the rest of Taiwan’s countryside, Yilan included. You can also make it a north-coast seafood month and add Wanli’s October crab season. Then raise a glass of Yilan’s own Kavalan whisky to the fishing crews. 🐟

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