For the Tankas, the growth in seafood consumption was a most prosperous time.

Sampans in typhoon shelters grew as places to eat seafood Sampans. Large floating restaurants were built to attract tourists.

As the fishing industry modernised, Tankas crewed commercial fishing vessels to meet demand while dropping cages around the floating restaurants to catch fish lured by food thrown from the restaurant kitchen to feed their families.

HK moved from fishing as a family business to more competitive cooperative fishing reducing the workforce numbers with little appeal to the next generation. ‘It almost certainly facilitated the move ashore’.

By the 1970s fish stocks had been over-exploited yet demand for seafood increased. With

conspicuous consumption and social networking that the consumption of high-value seafood developped requiring imported products.

The fishing techniques lost to modernisation are now on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List for protection.