Penghu baodun (stone mound) farms are mainly distributed among the intertidal zones north of Baisha Township, including Jhungtun, Jiangmei all the way to Citou area. In the early days, Chihkan is the main area, with 500 stone mounds in its best times, and 400 stone mounds in Citou; over 30 years ago, the average daily baodun (stone mound) catch is more than dozens in kilos, but now it has gradually converted to leisure fishery instead.
What is "baodun"? Using the feature of reef benthic fish will migrate and dwell near close-to-shore reefs, stone blocks are used to pile a stone mound with openings in the intertidal zone, and this stone mound is called a "dun". When the tide rises, benthic fishes will be trapped inside the stone mound, fishermen will then take the stone mound apart when the tide ebbs, and capture the catch; this is called "baodun".
Baodun (stone mound) season: In spring, the growing season of "sargassum" is also the beginning of stone mounds. Sargassum will attract small groupers to gather around stone mounds that are closer to shore for food; after June, groupers start to grow and migrate towards the outer sea, when stone mounds further off shore will capture more catch; after the Mid-Autumn Festival, fishes will migrate towards deeper parts of the ocean, stone mounds no longer serve the purpose of capturing fish, and fishermen will take the stone mounds apart, which is called "sandun" (loosen the stone mound).
The following spring, fishermen will rebuild the stone mound, which is called "jiandun" (collect the stone mound). When trying out baodun in person, remember that the opening of the net must be placed against the current to spread the net; when moving stones, remember to stand following the current, so that fishes hiding among the stones will swim into the net following the current. Experiencing baodun must be done abiding by the tide, and reservations must be made ahead of time in the right season for this to happen.