Educational Game Box of Traditional Fishing Method

Teaching Aids - Taiwan Traditional Fishing Methods
The fishing weir is a low wall in splayed-arch or semicircle shape that encircles as a fish trap, which is built by fishermen with big and small stones in the intertidal zone. When tide rises, fish crowds would swim into the weir for food; when tide recedes, these fishes would be trapped in the weir as the sea level has become lower than the weir. This allows fishermen to catch fish based on the timing of high and low tides.
As modern fishing gear and equipment continue to innovate and improve while the problem of emigration gets worse, these fish weirs have once faced challenges of crumbling and perished. The techniques of establishing and repairing fish weirs also get into a difficult situation that no younger talents seem willing to be trained as inheritors. Nowadays, these fish weirs are no longer used to catch fish, but are transformed into one tourist attraction, hoping this traditional fishing method could be preserved and passed on in such manner.
There are only two left now among the 23 fish weirs in Houlong township of Miaoli, which are “He-huan Weir” and “Mu-nai Weir.” Both are the most well-preserved weirs in Taiwan. Inside “He-huan Weir,” you can even see star-, moon- and sun-shaped weir walls. To the south of Houlong, the most famous weir is the one called “Zhuang-yuan Weir” (which means “Champion”) in Yuanli Township. The fish weir is not only a fishing tool or structure, but also represents a rich social culture.
Miaoli Slow Fish designed and developed the educational interactive board game centered on the traditional fishing methods, fishing weirs, to promote the featured fishing methods adopted along the Miaoli coast. It is not only optimized for guided reading in text form, but also strengthens the effectiveness of environmental and ecological education through actual items. Moreover, the diverse and interactive teaching aid can attract more kids and teenagers to learn more about the local traditional fishing methods and culture in Miaoli.