A view of fishponds in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

Taihu Lake Basin was where freshwater aquaculture was birthed in China, and Huzhou was a significant source of freshwater aquaculture in the nation, according to a recent research report.

The conclusion was made following two years of research by a team led by Li Xuegong, a professor at Huzhou University.

The results of the research, which were unveiled at a seminar held in Huzhou from Nov 29 to 30, were recognized by attendees including experts and scholars from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Chinese Society of Pre-Qin History and the Chinese Fishery Association.

Huzhou, which has a history of freshwater fishing that dates back to the late Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), is a famous freshwater fish farming area in China. Both the output volume and value of the city's fishery industry makes up more than one third of Zhejiang's total.

Huzhou has in recent years developed five national new aquatic species and built a modern industry system that integrates breeding and propagation.

Gui Jianfang, an aquatic biologist and academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, pointed out the research fills the academic gap in fishing and farming culture, and that it will further promote the brand of freshwater aquaculture in the Taihu Lake Basin.