As fish stocks were depleted, unemployment rose, at the same time that export processing zones began to emerge in Taiwan, luring more and more Penghu people to take the four-hour boat journey to Kaohsiung to make a living.
但隨著漁業資源減少、就業機會減少，再加上台灣加工出口區的成立，吸引澎湖人到坐船僅需 4 小時的高雄謀生，人口不斷外移。