日治初期臺灣總督府曾經試圖在臺灣全島進行官營漁業移民，但卻失敗了。直到一九二○年代中葉以降至一九三○年代末葉，才陸續於東臺灣的蘇澳港、新港以及花蓮港等地進漁業移民。
後期以東臺灣地區為主的移民事業，與東部開發以及日本過剩的漁業人口亟需尋找出路有關。隨著中日戰爭的爆發，基於戰爭資源自給自足的需要，官營漁業移民的規模越來越大，在日本本土的募集地也更廣。在總督府與地方廳當局充分配合之下，不但對移民提供極優惠的補助與訓練，而且也積極興建基礎建設，因此這次的移民事業較為成功，移民定居率相當高。
東臺灣漁業移民事業的施行，統分展現了殖民地政府企圖引進日本移民以達到東部產業改造的目的。東部漁業不但成功由沿岸漁業轉型為近海漁業、甚至發展遠洋漁業，產業結構獲得改變；而且日本移民也引進日本漁業文化和新式的漁業技術，對於東部三港的發展有相當大的影響。

　　　　　During the early stages of Japanese colonial rule the Taiwan government-general attempted to encourage the immigration of Japanese fishers and the promotion of government run fisheries in Taiwan without much success. Only in the mid 1920s to late 1930s did the colonial government focus its efforts on Suao, Hualien, and Hsin harbors.
The late development of eastern Taiwan's fishing industry was intimately related to the development of the east coast and the search for an outlet for Japan's surplus fishery population. Following the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war in 1937, the drive for self-sufficiency allowed for an expansion of the scope of fishery immigration and recruitment. Basic improvements in infrastructure and assistance to immigrant fishers provided by the concerted actions of the
government-general and local authorities made the development of the fishery industry a success.
This success demonstrates the colonial government's ability to use Japanese fishermen to transform eastern Taiwan's fishing industry. As a result, the structure of eastern Taiwan's fisheries was transformed from coastal to inshore and finally to pelagic fishing and the three main harbors of eastern Taiwan experienced unprecedented growth.