Yulin transforms saline lands into thriving seafood farms

Saline-alkali lands are transformed into aquaculture hubs in Yulin. [Photo/Yulin Daily]

Yanchangbu town in Yulin's Dingbian county was once a barren saline-alkali land, which has now been transformed into a flourishing center for seafood farming.

At the Jinrun Xinyuan Aquaculture Base, manager Gao Shang showcases the growth of razor clams. "We're trialing this new species using a flow-through aquaculture system to keep the water dynamic," he says, noting that the clams' plumpness rivals those grown by the sea.

The success of this venture hinges on converting the salt lake water, which is 5 to 7 times saltier than seawater, into a suitable habitat. This process involves blending the lake water with regular saline water and supplementing it with trace elements and probiotics.

A key advantage in this initiative is the naturally occurring brine shrimp. This highly sought-after feed boosts the protein content of the shrimp by 20 percent compared to regular sea shrimp.

An aquaculture greenhouse in Yulin. [Photo/Yulin Daily]

This unique feed, coupled with innovative techniques such as mixed-species cultivation and year-round production in heated greenhouses, has significantly increased output.

The aquaculture base has also implemented a "shrimp-crab-clam polyculture" system and introduced bass, constructing greenhouses equipped with heating systems to ensure stable winter production.

Dingbian, with its 14 natural salt lakes, offers a new approach to utilizing saline-alkali waters. Wang Xuerui, director of the Dingbian agriculture and rural affairs bureau, said that the county plans to integrate salt lake aquaculture with eco-tourism, driving rural vitalization.

Shrimp bred in saline-alkali lands. [Photo/Yulin Daily]