Aging oyster workforce pushes Taiwan toward automation

牡蠣養殖勞動力老化推動台灣邁向自動化

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s oyster industry is turning to automation as labor shortages from an aging workforce make traditional shucking increasingly difficult, CTEE reported Tuesday.

Oysters hold a prominent place in Taiwanese cuisine, appearing in dishes ranging from oyster omelets and oyster vermicelli to fried oyster fritters. However, most consumers prefer shucked meat, leaving the industry reliant on manual processing, Fisheries Research Institute Director Chang Chin-yi (張錦宜) said.

Taiwan produces about 240 million in-shell oysters annually, with elderly workers in coastal Yunlin and Chiayi forming the backbone of the workforce. Chang said adopting automated and smart processing technologies has become critical for the industry’s long-term development.

The Ministry of Agriculture is promoting the use of high-pressure processing technology to ease the bottleneck. The ministry said a 6.2-liter machine can open 24-30 kilograms of oysters per hour, helping reduce labor intensity and stabilizing production.

According to the institute, applying 200-350 megapascals of pressure allows the shell and meat to separate because of differences in expansion rates. The rapid batch-processing cycle not only achieves a meat recovery rate of more than 98% but also reduces Vibrio parahaemolyticus levels and prevents cross-contamination, improving food safety while preserving freshness and flavor.

Equipment costs vary: a 6-liter experimental unit costs about NT$3.5 million (US$112,000), while larger 55-liter and 525-liter commercial machines cost around NT$37 million and NT$93 million, respectively. Despite the initial investment, scaled-up processing can reduce labor costs from roughly NT$158 to NT$147 per kilogram of oyster meat.

The technology also has potential for shelling shrimp and crabs, as well as curing bivalves, creating off-season revenue streams. With strong interest from industry participants, the Fisheries Research Institute plans to refine processing parameters, evaluate large-scale feasibility for oyster production, and support broader adoption to enhance efficiency and global competitiveness.