Fujian Promotes High Quality Development of Marine Fisheries (High Quality Development Research Tour) Display Screen | 1 | Marine Fisheries

"In the past, I used to be exposed to the wind and sun every day, and often felt scared due to typhoons and red tides." Yan Jiaqiang, who has been raising fish for decades, did not expect that he could experience a "high-tech" experience when he was approaching retirement age. "Now, I can operate devices with just a few fingers every day."

Last September, the first semi submersible fishing brigade integrated deep-sea aquaculture equipment in China, "Mintou 1," was launched in Dinghai Bay, Lianjiang County, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province. Yan Jiaqiang, who used to raise fish in the coastal area, was hired as a worker at "Mintou No.1", and the working environment has undergone a change. "In the past, fishermen were most afraid of things growing on their fishing nets. Seaweed could block the mesh, while oysters could wear through the nets." Yan Jiaqiang said that with "Mintou 1", aquaculture cages can be automatically cleaned and can withstand super typhoons.

"The main body of the platform is 92 meters long, 36 meters wide, and 27 meters high, with a deck movable area of 3000 square meters." Xu Hang, the general manager of "Mintou 1" operation, introduced that the underwater aquaculture water body of the platform reaches 62000 cubic meters, and it can produce 600 tons of high-quality yellow croaker annually, with an annual output value of about 100 million yuan.

Say goodbye to traditional fishing and move towards smart fishing. On the display screen of the "Mintou 1" intelligent fishing system, the reporter can clearly see the scene of the activity of large yellow croakers. Underwater installation of sonar, video surveillance, ocean current monitoring, and transmission equipment facilitates timely adjustment of breeding plans by staff. "The large yellow croaker farmed in the deep sea has a wider range of active waters compared to traditional aquaculture, with a body shape and meat quality closer to wild yellow croaker, and a higher market price," said Yan Jiaqiang.

The integration of fishing and tourism is also the development direction of "Mintou 1". Based on the spacious deck space and stable main structure, "Mintou 1" is equipped with functional cabins such as sea view guest rooms, marine restaurants, and intelligent conference rooms, as well as seawater desalination and sewage treatment equipment, achieving multifunctional and green low-carbon sustainable development of the breeding platform.

Fujian is a major province in the ocean and fisheries industry. Last year, the gross domestic product of the ocean was nearly 1.2 trillion yuan, accounting for 1/5 of the province's regional gross domestic product; The per capita share and export value of aquatic products rank first in the country.

Caring about the ocean, understanding the ocean, and managing the ocean. In recent years, Fujian has continuously strengthened its emerging marine industries, promoted high-quality development of the marine economy, and actively assisted in the construction of a maritime power.

As of the end of 2022, the province has invested in and built a total of 17 sets of deep-sea aquaculture platforms, making solid progress in deep-sea aquaculture.

Farming yellow croaker, Song Xiangguo, a fisherman from Sandu Ao in Jiaocheng District, Ningde City, once took a detour and said, "In the past, just thinking about expanding the breeding area and lacking environmental awareness led to a deterioration in the water quality of the water area where the breeding area is located, and the survival rate of fish farming also decreased."

Ecological and environmental protection forces industrial upgrading. In 2018, Ningde City launched a large-scale comprehensive renovation of marine aquaculture, taking the lead in upgrading and transforming traditional wooden fishing rafts in the province. A total of 1.427 million fishing rafts were cleared and upgraded. At the same time, the mudflat planning of mariculture waters should be formulated to scientifically divide the no breeding areas, breeding areas and restricted breeding areas, abandon the original extensive development model, and promote green and healthy aquaculture.

The sea breeze is gentle, and the blue waves are rippling. From the air, 84 new plastic deep-water net cages are tightly connected, like blue fields. Song Xiangguo said, "The annual production of yellow croaker in my company has increased from 7500 tons to 8500 tons."

The key to increasing fishery production is the cultivation of high-quality aquatic products. In Lianjiang County, Lin Zhelong, Chairman of Guanwu Marine Development Co., Ltd., told reporters that the company has cultivated 8 high-quality kelp varieties, including "Minyou 1", which have better quality and stronger disease resistance. "The yield has increased by more than twice, and the per mu output value has increased by more than 10000 yuan." Lianjiang County has also established a abalone germplasm resource bank, which currently has multiple original varieties such as green abalone, red abalone, yellow abalone, and wrinkled abalone. Among them, the independently cultivated "Fubao 1" has a seedling yield of 600 million this year, a year-on-year increase of more than twice.

"To have a good harvest, there must be a good seed source," Lin Zhelong deeply felt. In recent years, Fujian has implemented innovation and industrialization projects in the seed industry, such as yellow croaker, abalone, and sea cucumber. It has built industrial production bases for yellow croaker, kelp, clam, abalone, and other seedlings, forming a group of leading enterprises and brands in the seed industry, with a coverage rate of over 70% for high-quality breeding varieties.

"We will continue to promote key work such as marine technology innovation, aquatic seed industry engineering, and smart ocean construction." Luo Zhitao, a member of the Party Group and Chief Engineer of the Fujian Provincial Oceanic and Fisheries Bureau, said that Fujian will further improve the marine and fisheries industry chain, continuously enhance new momentum for industrial development, and fully promote high-quality development of marine fisheries.