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It's harvesting season! Well, we're not talking about pumpkin, corn, apple, or any of the traditional crops grown in soil. 

We're talking about land-grown seafood in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

This autumn, Xinjiang's seafood production has gained exponential traction from the public in the backdrop of Japan's nuclear-contaminated water dumping, causing intense concern and worry regarding seafood safety and the marine environment. Xinjiang's lesser-known seafood export business became a novel alternative to meet the increasing demand for safer aquatic products in a safer breeding condition.

In Xinjiang, you can choose from a smorgasbord of water dwellers raised locally – and unconventionally: Salmon, tilapia, grouper, abalone and lobster… you name it!

So, how is seafood cultivated in a place with an extremely dry climate?

Xinjiang is home to many rivers, lakes, reservoirs and natural ponds. And the best part? The melting snow from Tianshan Mountains!

Tianshan water is purified to a high quality, and the imported fish eggs are grown in an artificial environment.

These eco-friendly breeding cages can withstand strong winds and waves, and prevent fish feed and waste from leaching into the water, which would threaten the local ecosystem. 

Underwater robots with sonar imaging systems and optical cameras are also deployed to clean the breeding cages.

The second approach for inland seafood breeding is adapting baby crayfish or shrimp to a freshwater environment.

They're first put into pools of water with salinity close to the ocean. Then, local fresh water is added to dilute the water for about ten days, after which they are moved to pure freshwater pools where the temperature is controlled at around 25 degrees.

"Based on our current scale of aquafarming, the water in Aksu is suitable for cultivating white shrimp," local fisherman Zhou Jingsen said in an interview with China Media Group.

Inland aquafarming is bringing sea products with reliable quality to consumers and helping local farmers economically. In 2022, Xinjiang's fishery industry output reached 4.2 billion yuan ($575.8 million), an increase of 921 million yuan compared with 2019. The average annual income of a fisherman in Xinjiang is 19,960 yuan ($2,765), which is 3,410 yuan ($472) higher than the disposable personal income of a local rural resident.

This lucrative business is cropping up in more areas in China with rich saline-alkali land to breed seafood – like shrimp and crabs – using similar techniques. 

This is the case in northwest China’s Qinghai Province, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, north China’s Inner Mongolia, and central China’s Henan Province.

Scriptwriter and Host: Zhao Chenchen

Copy editor: Merna Al Nasser

Cameraman: Yang Ze

Post production: Yang Yiren

3D designer: Pan Yongzhe

Cover image designer: Jia Jieqiong

Producer: Cao Qingqing, 

Chief editors: Wen Yaru, Wu Gang

Executive producer: Zhang Shilei

Read more: Seafood from inland Xinjiang becomes new love for foodies in China