This arc of stone walls curving through the shallows was built long ago by fishermen, a trap of stone designed to catch fish with the rise and fall of the…
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This arc of stone walls curving through the shallows was built long ago by fishermen, a trap of stone designed to catch fish with the rise and fall of the tide.
A stone weir, or shihu, is a fishing device made by piling stones along the shallow shoreline. When the tide comes in, fish swim over the wall and into the enclosed space within. As the tide recedes, the fish are left behind inside the wall, together with the water. All the fishermen had to do was gather them up.
In Taiwan, the stone weirs of the Penghu Islands are the most well known, but stone weirs also remain along the coast of Xinwu in Taoyuan.
A stone weir could not be built by one person alone. Carrying the heavy stones, and stacking them so they would not be broken apart by the tide, required the combined strength of the whole community. Stone weirs were, in most cases, held in common, and even the order in which people took turns catching fish was carefully determined.
As fishing methods changed, many stone weirs fell out of use. Some crumbled, worn away by the tides. In recent years, local residents have continued efforts to restore them, restacking the stones one by one.
At the hour of low tide, the arc of the stone wall reveals itself above the water's surface.
When the tide rises, the wall sinks once more beneath the sea. Twice each day, this same quiet cycle repeats itself.
