Provincial Oceanic Research & Development Center FoundedThe Guangdong Provincial Oceanic Research and Development Center was set up November 26 at the Zhanjiang University of Oceanology.The center, jointly initiated by the university and Guangdong's Science and Technology Department and Ocean and Fishery Bureau, aims to develop new and high ocean-related technologies and provide the provincial government with consultations on oceanic development. In the meantime, the center is expected to hold academic exchanges and build databases for personnel and achievements related to oceanological research. At the opening ceremony November 26, Hu Rizhang, president of the Zhanjiang University of Oceanology, said the short-term objective of the center covers two aspects: one is to set up a website for supplying ocean-related science and technology information, and the other, to issue feasibility reports on projects of sustainable oceanological development. Early this year, the provincial government set the goal of strengthening oceanic development, making the added value of the oceanic industry account for at least 10 percent of the province's gross domestic product. Guangdong boasts 450,000 square kilometers of offshore areas and has great potential for developing its oceanic industry. However, the province needs to improve the technology for cultivating and processing high-quality marine products, tapping offshore resources and protecting the marine ecosystem. |
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