Heated bidding for freshly caught fish has always been an exciting part of the annual winter fishing festival at Chagan Lake, northeast China's Jilin Province. This year, the largest bighead carp caught in the first net was sold at nearly three million yuan, or more than 400,000 U.S. dollars. The auction price has increased more than tenfold in the past decade. And it's not just for the biggest catch, as overall sales of the lake's fish have been increasing year by year.

While China's normal freshwater fish market continues to weaken, the price and demand for Chagan Lake fish remains strong. Zhang Wenping, deputy director of the Chagan Lake fish farm said sales speed and volume these days are higher than the same period last year. "If Chagan Lake fish could be sold as fast as now, 1,500 tons of output this year can be sold out by Spring Festival", he speculated. The Spring Festival, China's most important festival in the year, falls on January 25, 2019. 

Many come by the lake every winter to shop for a lucky bighead carp as a lunar new year's gift for friends and relatives, wishing for a good start. The grand winter fishing celebration, along with local folklore about ancient customs being handed on, reinforces the cultural roots of the fish and makes them widely known. 

Meanwhile, the fish farm manager believes the quality of the fish also matters as they meet the increasing desire for organic food. This means the fish in the lake have become widely coveted.

And in recent years, with the emergence of e-commerce websites in China such as JD.com and Tmall, the majority of the fish are being sent directly to consumers across the country. 

The number of e-commerce retailers of Chagan Lake fish has mushroomed from two to over 20, accounting for 70 percent of total sales last year. And they are set to play an even bigger part in the future. "In the beginning there were only small fish weighing two kilograms for online sales. But since last year, we have begun to sell bigger ones of over 10 kilograms to meet growing market demands," Zhang Wenping added. 

Fishermen here have never stopped developing new marketing strategies to cater to changing consumption trends. And they are confident that fine fish and wise innovation will help them swim through market turbulence.