75 years on: Zhanjiang forges ahead on the path to modernization

Editor's Note: This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and to celebrate, we are publishing a series of stories illustrating how Zhanjiang city in Guangdong province has advanced Chinese modernization. The following is the first story in the series.

The coastal city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong province is leveraging its rich resources and strengths to build a national demonstration zone for modern marine ranching.

Official data showed that the city's aquatic products output exceeded 1.28 million metric tons in 2023, with a total value of 30 billion yuan ($4.28 billion).

And ten more key projects of modern marine ranching have begun construction in the past three quarters, involving a total investment of 10.8 billion yuan.

"The high-quality development of the marine ranching involves multiple fields such as processing, marketing and cold-chain logistics and therefore requires collaborative efforts," said Sun Chengzhi, director of the aquaculture department of the Zhanjiang agriculture and rural affairs bureau.

Quality fry are considered the foundation for the mariculture industry. With the support from local enterprises and research institutes, Zhanjiang is becoming a leading center for fry cultivation in the country.

Last year, farmers in the city raised more than 160 billion larval white shrimps, accounting for one-third of the national total.

To improve the quality of larval oysters and expand production, Zhanjiang has established an oyster industry technology research institute, while research on the new species of Golden Pomfret has progressed smoothly, according to local officials.

Guangdong boasts the largest annual production of Golden Pomfret in China. [Zhang Fengfeng for chinadaily.com.cn]

Meanwhile, the city emphasizes advanced technologies and the latest equipment, with the aim of promoting the modern, intelligent transformation of the marine aquaculture industry.

So far, it has established China's first automatic lifting marine ranch Zhannong No 1, the province's largest truss-structure mariculture platform, Hengyi No 1, and intelligent platforms, Havwii No 1 and Havwii No 2.

Havwii No 2 has been in operation since June, 2023. [Li Jiabin for chinadaily.com.cn]

"The Havwii No 2 platform, with a total investment of 30 million yuan, is a cooperative project developed by our company and several local research institutes including the Zhanjiang Bay Laboratory," said Liu Ding, chairman of Guangdong Havwii Agricultural Group.

In addition to strong wind resistance, it is equipped with intelligent devices that can monitor the fish in real time and collect data about meteorology, water quality, flow velocity and sound waves, Liu said. "Our production efficiency has further improved thanks to the data."

"Currently, the platform is mainly used to raise mid-and high-end fishes such as brown croakers and cobias. Its annual output value is expected to reach 70 million yuan," Liu added.

Zhanjiang Bay Lab offers great scientific and technological supports to local mariculture industry. [Liu Jicheng for chinadaily.com.cn]

Besides the ZJB Lab, Zhanjiang is home to some 40 national and provincial-level marine sci-tech research platforms as well as the research and development centers of 15 marine technology companies.

According to researchers from the ZJB Lab, they are now developing two new mariculture platforms – the Haita No 1 and the Zhanjiang Bay No 1, which features semi-submersible cultivation, autonomous navigation, and a cozy living space, among other characteristics. 

They will come into operation next year, providing new impetus for the city's marine ranching development, researchers said.

Zhanjiang is also making efforts to enhance its deep-processing system and cold-chain logistics. Major projects such as the fishing port economic zone, the international aquatic products trade center and several ready-to-cook food industry parks are under construction.