Ningde establishes fish farm for sustainable development

China's coastal regions are home to the endemic commercial fish known as the large yellow croaker. These fish use the sea area in Ningde, east China's Fujian Province, as a significant inner bay breeding ground.

However, since the 1970s, the population of large yellow croakers has declined significantly due to overfishing.

Over the last few decades, government departments, research institutions and fishermen in Ningde have worked together to promote the scientific cultivation of yellow croakers and improve the aquatic environment.

In July 2018, Ningde implemented comprehensive seawater management as well as the transformation and improvement of fish breeding. Ningde established a new order for marine farming through the collaborative efforts of many departments, including clear seawater ownership rights and a grid-based management plan.

In the same year, Xiapu County launched a thorough drive to standardize and preserve its mariculture. The county released a strategy to manage seawater comprehensively as well as reform and upgrade fish breeding, including the replacement of foam floaters with environmentally friendly ones. 

Locals took the initiative to replace foam floaters with eco-friendly ones in their aquaculture region. Consequently, the entire output value of giant yellow croakers increased and the fish's quality and survival rate rose dramatically. To encourage fishermen to improve their farming facilities, the local government paid subsidies. After three years of work, Xiapu replaced all of the foam floaters, removing floating waste.

Fujian Sanduao Foodstuff Co., Ltd.'s deep water plastic fish farm at Sandu Bay, Ningde, is designed to endure winds and waves. The fish farm comprises 84 big breeding cages, each of which covers one mu (0.067 hectares), as well as nine buildings with red roofs connected by walkways.

Four wind turbines are put on the roof of the fish farm's power-generation building. Wind turbines and solar photovoltaic devices are connected to the fish farm's power storage facility and electric transducer.

The fish farm features a set of seawater desalination equipment for providing domestic water. Both solar photovoltaic panels and wind turbines may provide electricity for the farm, which can then be stored to power it throughout the day, according to People's Daily.

Ningde has been investigating the industrial potential of large yellow croakers. Ningde's major yellow croaker industry, worth more than 10 billion yuan, includes fry hatching, breeding, processing, cold-chain logistics and transportation, and marketing.