Fujian coast awash in aquaculture

An aerial photo shows eco-friendly plastic fishing platforms floating on the sea at Sandu'ao Bay near Jiaocheng district in Ningde on June 15. RUAN CHUANLONG/FOR CHINA DAILY

Technology further bolstering province's marine product dominance

The coast of East China's Fujian province boasts abundant marine resources and is known for its vigorous development of offshore aquaculture. On the eve of the 6th Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival, which falls on Sept 23, the province's offshore aquaculture bases in Fuzhou, Ningde, Putian and other coastal cities will welcome the harvest season.

With a sea area of 136,000 square kilometers and over 3,700 km of coastline, Fujian's production of aquatic products such as yellow croaker, abalone, oyster, kelp and seaweed ranks first in the country.

More than 1,100 5G base stations have been set up along the coast. As a result, wireless networks fully cover nearshore areas in Fujian, giving it a unique advantage in the development of the marine economy. At the same time, technological innovations in the entire industrial chain related to marine fisheries and aquaculture continue to be realized.

A fish farmer displays abalones he is raising on a fishing platform at Sandu'ao Bay, Ningde city, Fujian province, on June 18. ZHU XINGXIN/CHINA DAILY

Fujian produces over 80 percent of the country's farmed large yellow croaker, more than 70 percent of its farmed abalone and about 50 percent of its kelp. Ningde city, known as the "capital of large yellow croaker", has carried out large-scale integrated improvement of offshore aquaculture, promoting the transformation from traditional fishing rafts to plastic ones.

To achieve high-quality development, Fujian has invested in the construction of more than 20 deepsea aquaculture platforms, with an annual production of nearly 5.5 million metric tons of aquatic products.

Workers sort abalones at a processing factory in Putian, Fujian, on April 9. CHEN BIN/FOR CHINA DAILY

A boat fully loaded with kelp returns to Dinghai Bay in Lianjiang on April 22 from an offshore aquaculture farm. WANG WANGWANG/FOR CHINA DAILY

Fish farmers harvest large yellow croakers they are raising on a plastic platform at Sandu'ao Bay on Spet 21. RUAN CHUANLONG/FOR CHINA DAILY

A livestreamer sells dried large yellow croaker online at a processing factory in Xiapu county, Ningde, on April 18. WANG YI/FOR CHINA DAILY

Fishermen tie up a net on a boat moored near Jiaocheng district, Ningde, on Oct 18, 2021. RUAN CHUANLONG/FOR CHINA DAILY

Fishermen load crates filled with abalones onto a motor tricycle at Songluwan port in Lianjiang county in Fuzhou, Fujian, on July 11. ZHANG BIN/FOR CHINA DAILY