An aerial view of the Tangdaowan Bay in Qingdao's West Coast New Area, Shandong province. The new area is making great efforts to boost its marine sectors. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Rising tide of marine businesses includes aquaculture, pharmacology
The world's first 100,000-metric-ton, smart fish-farming ship was delivered on May 20 in Qingdao, Shandong province, marking the latest innovation for China's aquaculture technology.
The ship, Conson No 1, is expected to help the nation's deep-sea aquaculture take a leading role in the industry by providing a new prototype, experts said.
The 249.9-meter-long mobile fish farm, with a dead weight of 100,000 tons and displacing 130,000 tons, has 15 tanks, each larger than two standard swimming pools. It can handle 3,700 tons of fish annually, including yellow croaker, grouper and Atlantic salmon.
The ship's smart technology can control temperature and salinity in the pools where the fish are growing. It features a total of 2,108 sensors to monitor water, oxygen, light, feeding and the growth of fish in real-time.
"Conson No 1 has made China's vision of deep-sea aquaculture into a reality, and will not only drive the nation's development of the aquaculture industry but also promote the upgrading of related equipment, technologies and business models," said Mai Kangsen, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a professor at Ocean University of China.
Workers process salmon at Shenlan 1, China's first deep-sea fish farm off Qingdao, in June 2021. [YU FANGPING/FOR CHINA DAILY]
China's vision is to expand its marine sectors from areas just offshore to the deep sea in a reasonable and scientific way, while avoiding problems like overfishing and pollution, experts said.
The delivery of the vessel will start a new wave of marine aquaculture in China, which will feature the combination of artificial intelligence, information technology, shipbuilding technology and artificial aquaculture, Mai said.
The ship sailed from Qingdao after delivery, and headed to the sea near Ningde, Fujian province, where it was to load fish spawn to be raised aboard the ship. Plans call for the ship to cruise to different areas where conditions are advantageous for cultured fish to grow to adult size, officials said.
Developing marine aquaculture is just one step of the deepening ties of the port city of Qingdao to the ocean. The development of marine businesses is being highlighted more than ever, as was made clear at the city's Party congress in April.
