本文說明韋恩颱風災害之後，雲林縣口湖鄉沿海地區發展烏魚養殖業的過程。作者認為，養殖烏魚子的品質建構，是讓烏魚養殖產業能夠穩健獲利，進而成為穩定地方經濟的關鍵因素。本文引用近年來農食研究盛行的品質理論，透過對業者的深度訪談，以及對養殖實境的現場觀察，從生產、規範、與行銷等三個環節來解析建構烏魚子品質的各種技術條件。研究發現，養殖烏魚的生命週期通常為二至三年，期間各個階段的實作方式，包括魚苗擇選、魚塭環境管理、取卵方式、加工技術、產品評比、以及行銷策略等，都與烏魚子的品質建構緊密相關。本文主張，烏魚子的品質，是魚卵與其飼養環境、加工製作技術、消費市場、以及口味評量機制之間互動的結果；養殖業者在烏魚生命週期各個階段的實作，都是為了創造與維護烏魚子的品質。至目前為止，雲林口湖鄉養殖烏魚子的品質建構相當成功，不但增加了烏魚子商品的市場價值，也對烏魚產業的生產方式與地層下陷區的國土復育，帶來正面影響。

This paper describes the development of mullet culture in Kouhu Township, Yunlin County. It argues that the ‘quality’ of its product, mullet roe, is key to making the mullet aquaculture industry profitable, and thus a key factor in stabilizing the local economy. Through in-depth interviews with fish-farmers and field observation of the aquaculture environment, this paper applies theories about quality in agro-food research to analyze the various elements that constitute the ‘quality’ of the mullet roe. The study finds that the life cycle of cultured mullet is usually two to three years, during which the implementation of various stages, including fry selection, fish raft environmental management, egg retrieval methods, processing technology, product evaluation and grading, and marketing strategies, etc., are closely related to the quality construction of the final product, mullet roe. The quality construction of mullet roe products not only increases its market value, but also enhances its environmental effects. Following the commodity chain back to the production end, this paper illustrates how the quality discourse affects the mode of production and the quality of the coastal area environment.