Putian in SE China's Fujian promotes green development of marine fishery sector

Since 2018, Putian city in southeast China's Fujian Province has been working to protect the marine environment and advance the green transformation of the marine fishery sector through various measures including establishing a national-level marine ranch demonstration area on Nanri island in Xiuyu district.

The district boasts a sea area of 2,800 square kilometers and is blessed with rich marine resources. Nearly one-tenth of its residents are engaged in the fishery sector and related industries.

Photo shows a view of Nanri island in Xiuyu district, Putian city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Cai Hao)

According to Chen Yawei, general manager of Putian Nanri Ocean Investment and Development Group Co., Ltd., the sprawl of marine farming once seriously threatened the marine ecology of Nanri island, which inevitably affected the quality of seafood.

In 2020, Putian launched further initiatives to propel the transformation and upgrading of marine farming, guiding the industry to become more eco-friendly.

Based on the actual conditions of its sea area, Xiuyu district divided the waters into aquaculture areas, restricted aquaculture areas, and prohibited aquaculture areas. It also adjusted the structure of marine fishery, decreased stocking density in aquaculture, promoted eco-friendly aquaculture models, developed deep-sea aquaculture farming, and strengthened the treatment of aquaculture tailwater.

In addition, the district has guided aquaculture farmers to upgrade their farming facilities and replace outdated breeding cages and foam balls with environmentally-friendly plastic ones, said Yan Zhihong, director of the aquaculture technology promotion station of Xiuyu district.

Yan explained that the district has so far upgraded 25,000 fishing rafts and foam balls on 45,000 mu (3,000 hectares) of aquaculture area.

According to statistics, algae and bivalves such as oysters account for 90 percent of marine aquaculture species in Xiuyu district, reflecting the local government's long-term considerations behind the development of eco-friendly aquaculture.

Algae and bivalves do not require feeding during their growth process, and some types of algae and shellfish can even help improve water quality and the marine environment, Yan explained.

Linhao (Fujian) Aquatic Co., Ltd. has built an eco-friendly aquaculture base at Xinghua Bay in Xiuyu district.

Photo shows a view of a marine farm near Nanri township, Xiuyu district, Putian city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Xie Guiming)

In May 2022, the company earned an additional income of more than 200,000 yuan (about $27,640) for 10,840 tonnes of marine fishery carbon sinks produced during the company’s oyster farming in nearly three years.

"Protecting the marine ecology is safeguarding our 'blue granary.' Developing eco-friendly aquaculture not only protects the marine environment, but also brings benefits to the fishermen," said Zhang Bosong, Party chief of Xiuyu district.

In 2023, the total aquatic product output in Xiuyu district increased 5.08 percent compared to the previous year. Last year, 98 percent of the district's offshore waters monitored by the state and the province reached Class I and Class II sea water quality standards under the country's five-tier water quality system, with Class I being the highest quality. In 2023, 96.2 percent of Putian's offshore waters were graded Class I and Class II.