劉健
夜幕降臨,華燈初上,如果你來浙江的千島湖旅游,就一定會發現一個有趣的現象:遍布大街小巷的餐館,到處閃爍著“千島湖有機魚”“生態魚”等字眼。
千島湖,無處不“魚”。短短20年間,千島湖魚從不知名的生態魚,躍過了道道“龍門”,轉型為融入旅游的文化魚。最新統計數據顯示,這條魚撬動的產業經濟已超過人民幣20億元。
關于傳統漁業,淳安有一個傳說。相傳元末農民起義爆發后,漁民出生的陳友諒起兵,后與朱元璋展開了3年多的戰爭,大敗于鄱陽湖之戰。陳友諒被打敗后,他手下九員大將“陳、錢、林、李、袁、孫、葉、許、何”的家族被朱元璋貶到新安江,世代以捕魚為業,不得穿鞋,不得在岸上建房居住,更不能與岸上人通婚,形成了一個特殊的水上漁民部落,故稱“九姓漁民”。
1960年,新安江水庫蓄水后,“九姓漁民”后代的命運發生了根本改變,適逢淳安縣成立捕撈大隊,一些有經驗的漁民順理成章成為漁業工人。1962年,“淳安縣新安江開發總公司”正式成立,確立“以漁為主,多種經營”的發展方針,開始了艱苦的創業歷程,試圖探索出一條生態漁業發展之路。
很多淳安人至今還記得上世紀七八十年代千島湖漁業的發展盛況。“在統購統銷的年代,從來沒有為賣魚而發過愁。魚捕上來后,一般直接冷凍,然后由縣里的水產供銷公司根據上級業務部門的計劃,用車運往杭州肉聯廠,通過火車運往各地水產供銷部門。”經歷過那段歲月的新安江開發總公司員工汪敏說,當時千島湖的凍魚很受歡迎,尤其是在東北,這些魚在農貿市場一亮相,客戶就蜂擁而來。
但那個時候,千島湖魚的價格非常便宜,大個兒的鳙魚不到3元一斤,鰱魚1元多一斤,魚頭8分錢一斤,幾乎是當處理品賣的。“上世紀90年代后期,由于體制及外部市場環境的變化,風光一時的千島湖魚開始走下坡路。”見證這場變遷的新安江開發總公司邵建強說,更糟糕的是,此時的千島湖魚害嚴重,鰱鳙魚被肉食性鳡魚大量攝食,產量急劇下降。為了有效保護漁業資源,千島湖還實行三年封庫禁漁,公司在漁業生產上幾乎只有投入沒有產出。
1998年,負債累累的淳安縣新安江開發總公司引入中國林業集團,共同組建了全新的杭州千島湖發展集團有限公司,調來懂市場的淳安縣農業局局長汪建敏擔任總經理。“那時候,全公司的營業額不到2000萬元,虧損800萬元,員工人心渙散。”汪建敏說。
在困境逼迫下,汪建敏發起了一場長達十年的“淳”魚品牌創建工作。
步入2000年,市場發生了新變化,過去滿足于凍魚的人們,開始對活魚感興趣。為此,杭州千島湖發展集團有限公司制定了年產10萬斤活魚的目標,邁出了拯救漁業的第一步。“這不僅是生產環節的一個改善,更是整條生產銷售流程的變化。”汪建敏介紹說,比如為了在捕撈時不對魚產生損傷,工人們發明了一種新式武器——沉浮式活水運漁船,通過魚艙、艏艉浮力調節艙控制進排水的結構,使得起網后魚能徑直游到船艙里。
生產環節的改善,并非是一蹴而就,而是經過反復的琢磨和試驗,包括最早的“攔、趕、刺、張”捕魚法,顛覆了傳統漁業的作業方式,徹底向精細化轉型。在另一個重要環節“活魚運輸”中,公司也是交了不少“學費”。負責配送的老員工朱軍介紹說,在高速公路網沒有成形的年代,一旦運魚車半路出現故障,新的運魚車就會星夜趕往接應替換,每隔一段時間,運輸人員還要關注水質、水溫、含氧量、PH值等數據。
通過優化捕撈方式和改造運輸流程,第二年,公司就完成了90萬斤的活魚捕撈任務。時至今日,活魚捕撈量已占捕撈總量的99%以上。如果說從賣凍魚到賣活魚是一次價值的飛躍,那么品牌化戰略則讓千島湖魚的附加值實現了質的提升。2000年,杭州千島湖發展集團有限公司注冊“淳”牌商標,“淳安”的“淳”,代表著原生、原味、原鮮;之后,又把“千島湖”作為原產地通過了國家地理標志產品的認證。
有了商標,不代表消費者就會買單,還必須導入最核心的品牌內涵。當時,在國內沒有先例的情況下,杭州千島湖發展集團有限公司向國家環保總局有機食品認證中心申請活魚有機認證。“雖然千島湖的生態基礎好,但有機認證流程非常嚴格,從對環境的監測到對養殖的要求,從對餌料的把控到對疾病的防治,從捕撈到產品的運輸,甚至包括宰殺等環節,都需經過認證部門嚴格考核。”汪建敏說,經過一年多努力,2000年10月,千島湖鰱、鳙魚等十多個品種的魚類獲得有機食品認證;三年后,淳安又被國家農業部命名為全國第一個“中國有機魚之鄉”。
俗話說“早起的鳥兒有蟲吃”,2002年起,杭州千島湖發展集團有限公司打響了一場全員營銷戰。當年5月9日,公司在杭州成功舉辦千島湖淳牌有機魚新聞發布會,邀請幾十家賓館、飯店和新聞媒體參加,淳牌有機魚在杭州一炮打響,有機魚的銷售價格猛漲數倍。
嘗到甜頭后,公司啟動了一連串的創意營銷組合拳,在營銷手段上不斷創新,比如聯合中國烹飪協會,承辦“2002千島湖杯全國淡水魚烹飪大賽”,積極參加北上廣舉辦的農博會,邀請中央電視臺等媒體跟蹤采訪。
步入21世紀,淳安開始提出旅游轉型的目標。在這樣的大背景下,經歷品牌漁業的發展階段后,杭州千島湖發展集團有限公司將目光聚焦在文化創意產業上,以文化改造現有漁業產業體系,大力發展淳魚藝術品產業、淳魚文化休閑旅游業。
首先,大家想到的是將巨網捕魚開發成一個旅游項目。作為漁業捕撈生產的最后一個環節,巨網捕魚一直有著很強的觀賞性:隨著“嘿唑……嘿唑……”的號子聲,一張一百多米的張網在20多位漢子的合力使勁下,從三個方向收攏,數萬斤鰱魚、鳙魚受到驚嚇,爭相跳出水面,濺起一片片浪花。“2006年,公司投資百萬元打造了全新的觀光平臺,專門制定了標準化操作流程,使得巨網捕魚正式成為獨立的表演項目,全年組織演出百余場,接待游客超十萬人次。”捕撈一隊隊長葉志清說。
也就在同一年,一次偶然的機會,管理層與日本、韓國等漁業同行開展業務交流時,無意中聽到了“魚拓”這一新鮮事物——將魚的形象用墨汁或顏料拓印在紙張上。2009年,淳安千島湖魚文化協會成立,同步創辦國內首個魚拓社,打造魚拓藝術展。“任何一種藝術形式,背后的核心要素都是人,我們想到了引進人才。”汪建敏說,除了邀請韓日的魚拓大師外,公司將目光投向國內,四處搜尋那些技藝精湛但卻鮮為人知的魚拓高手,請來了西安的年輕藝術家楊阿永,由他擔當千島湖魚拓社社長,一有稀罕的魚便邀請他創作。
2008年5月的一天,捕撈隊在千島湖捕獲了一條151斤重的大青魚,將它拓成了魚拓,制作成標本,展示于千島湖魚博館。千發集團聯合楊阿永,用三年時間制作了《千島湖錦鱗圖》。為了將這幅巨制的傳播效應發揮到極致,公司專門申報了吉尼斯世界紀錄。如同最初的巨網捕魚一樣,魚拓藝術如同水面上的漣漪漸漸散開來,魚拓藝術品在各個節日活動上頻頻亮相,單幅價格低則幾千,高則數萬,并延伸到服裝、明信片等方面,甚至還多次被淳安作為禮品運送到加拿大、澳大利亞等國的友好省市。
為了全面展示淳魚文化,2015年,省內首家專業魚文化博物館“千島湖魚博館”正式成立。館內不僅有千島湖全部114種魚類標本,還可體驗九姓漁民的生活場景和捕魚工具;既可以欣賞法國魚頭藝術家展出的魚頭人藝術,又可現場親手參與制作一幅魚拓作品。此外,公司還投入巨資,建立全國第一家休閑漁業公園,融吃魚、賞魚、釣魚、購魚于一體;與鰲山村合作,以魚文化為依托,打造魚市一條街和主題民宿,一個有情調的鰲山漁村正在形成。
經過多年精心打造,以魚為主題,千島湖漁業已開發出包括巨網捕魚、休閑垂釣、放魚節慶、魚文化餐飲、魚文化景點、魚文化工藝品等一系列新型服務業態,實現了從傳統漁業、品牌漁業到文化漁業的升級轉型,打造了一條完整的漁業產業鏈。
當下,杭州千島湖發展集團有限公司正在考察全國各地的知名湖泊,千島湖魚的成功模式或將遍地開花。
No sane traveler would leave Qiandaohu, a popular tourist destination in Chunan County, Zhejiang Province, without trying the “spicy fish head”, a local signature delicacy that has become a calling card of Qiandaohu Town. Statistics indicate that “fish” has generated an annual income of two billion yuan into the local economy.
The towns fame is closely associated with the namesake lake. Qiandaohu Town is just a dot by the 567-km2 lake called Qiandaohu, or 1,000-isle Lake, a reservoir made in 1960.
About the fishing tradition of Qiandaohu, legend has it that Chen Youliang, a local fisherman, kept fighting against Zhu Yuanzhang (the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty 1368-1644) in the last three years of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). After losing the fierce and grueling fight, the nine core groups of the soldiers of Chens army were banished to todays Xinan River and were banned from wearing shoes or living onshore. They are believed to have been the ancestors of the towns “gypsies”, or “nine-surname fishing people”, who traditionally lived on junks and fished as their traditional livelihood, like the Tankas in the south. Historically, they were considered to be outcasts. The descendents of these boat people have preserved many of their ancestors traditions although nowadays most dont live in boats on the river.
The life of the “boat people” on Xinan River began changing drastically in 1960, when the Xinan Reservoir went operational. The more experienced fishing people joined the countys fishing team to make a living. The 1970s and 1980s saw the heyday of the fishing industry of Qiandaohu. “We never had to worry about sales in a market in which everything else was planned and managed by the government. All we needed to do was to send the hauls of the day for quick freezing and transport them to the Hangzhou Meat Processing Factory and other supply and marketing cooperatives,” Wang Min recalled. “The frozen fish from Qiandaohu enjoyed a dedicated following in northeastern parts of the country.”
The decline of the fishing industry of Qiandaohu came in the late 1990s, when the market reshuffle came and the worsening of water ecology added insult to injury. The yield of “Qiandaohu fish” took a nosedive and resulted in a three-year fishing ban imposed to restore fish resources.
The new consumption trend came around in the year 2000. Frozen fish fell into disfavor. Gourmets became interested in eating fish fresh from water. Sensing the new opportunity, Hangzhou Qiandaohu Development Group set new goals to salvage the languishing fishing industry of the county. “The result was not only improvements on production but a brand-new industrial chain, with new tools invented and fishing efficiency greatly improved,” recalled Wang Jianmin, a government official with the countys agricultural authorities. Technological innovation brought in a total yield of 450,000kg of live fish in 2001.
In addition to the sharp increase of catch, the company did a series of things to improve its market competitiveness. In 2000, it launched its new trademark “Chun”, which indicates the geographical roots of “Qiandaohu fish” as well as the unique quality of the fish from Qiandaohu. This was an important step taken by the company in its “organic reform”. In October 2000, a dozen kinds of fish from Qiandaohu were granted the Organic Food Certification. In 2003, Chunan became Chinas first “capital of organic fish” in China.
Today, the countys brisk organic fish industry does more than just satisfying the taste buds of gourmets. People go to Qiandaohu for more reasons than sightseeing and trying the countys signature hot and spicy “fish head”.
A new goal of the Qiandaohu Development Group is to weave the local fishing tradition into tourism and creative industry. In 2006, the company launched a new “giant-net fishing” product tailor-made for tourists to feast the eye on the spectacle that illustrates the countys fishing glory in a “seeing is believing” way. Giant-net fishing is a spectacular must for many tourists. It has been broadcast on television for years.
In 2009, the company unveiled Qiandaohu Fish Culture Association and Chinas first Society. Gyotaku is an art that prints fish onto paper that originated in Japan and has evolved with different approaches. It dates back to the mid-1800s. This form of nature printing was used by fishermen to record their catches, but has also become an art form of its own. Over the years, the Association has worked with Japanese artists and Yang Ayong, a young artist from Xian. One of the clubs master works is created from a black carp that weighed more than 75kg. The artworks from local artists add a strong cultural touch to Qiandaohu.