TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Fishery Agency Director-General Wang Mao-chen (王茂城) said on Monday that oyster prices may continue rising ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival due to typhoon damage in Taiwan’s main oyster production areas.

While prices for other seafood — including tilapia — are expected to remain stable, Wang said the damage to oyster farms will likely drive prices upward, per RTI.

With oyster industries in Vietnam and China expanding, Taiwan’s oyster sector faces mounting pressure. An investigation by News & Market found that some distributors are mixing Vietnamese oysters with domestic products.

Industry insider “A” said Vietnamese oysters help fill supply gaps during Taiwan’s off-season and, due to their larger size, may improve local consumers’ perception of oysters labeled Taiwanese. With Vietnamese oysters priced about 30% lower than domestic ones, blending allows distributors to boost profits.

But data show that Vietnamese oyster imports remain high even during Taiwan’s production season. Insider “B” said distributors continue imports year-round to maintain reliable supply relationships with overseas partners.

Insider “A” added that because Taiwan does not require oyster-origin labeling, mixing Vietnamese oysters with local stock — without explicitly labeling them as Taiwanese — is not illegal. Many restaurants accept Vietnamese oysters due to their quality and lower price.

Some distributors reportedly smuggle oysters from China, process them in Taiwan, and market them as domestic products. According to News & Market, only live oysters from China are kept in green mesh bags, while Taiwanese live oysters are typically stored in baskets.

Taiwan’s oyster industry is further strained by declining spat production, labor shortages, and environmental degradation. In Yunlin County’s Taixi Township — once a major producer of oyster spat — orders have dropped about 60% due to outdated methods and competition from China, News & Market reports. Lab-grown Chinese spat are more resilient and offer more consistent yields than naturally harvested spat in Taixi.

Efforts to improve Taiwan’s oyster spat cultivation have stalled, with government officials and retired researchers blaming a lack of investment and focus for the industry’s stagnation.

Industrial development along Taiwan’s west coast has damaged critical mudflat areas, per News & Market. The Waisanding Sandbar — a vital oyster-cultivation site — has steadily deteriorated since the construction of Formosa Plastics Group’s naphtha cracker complex.

In addition, the shrinking of Qigu Lagoon and changes in local aquaculture practices have degraded water quality. Fewer farmers raise nutrient-releasing fish like grouper, further weakening water conditions and harming oyster growth. The industry is also combating parasite outbreaks, News & Market reports.

Older wooden oyster racks remain especially vulnerable to storm damage. Typhoon Gaemi alone caused an estimated NT$320 million (US$10.51 million) in losses to the oyster sector. Although newer rack designs can help mitigate storm damage, parasite-prevention work remains labor-intensive — and there simply aren’t enough workers.

Taiwanese consumers expect freshly processed oysters, requiring each oyster to be cleaned manually. The labor is low-paid, unstable, and hard to recruit — especially among younger generations, News & Market says.

In Tainan, only about half of oyster-farming families have children willing to continue the business. Coastal erosion, environmental destruction, rising imports, labor shortages, and lack of government support have left Taiwan’s oyster industry in critical condition.