Gansu, a landlocked province in Northwest China known for its mountainous and desert landscapes, is making waves in the aquaculture industry by successfully producing South American white shrimp which is commonly known as L. Vannamei shrimp. Despite its geographical distance from the Pacific Ocean, where these shrimp are typically found, a cooperative in Yanuan town is gearing up to ship around 4 metric tons of these prized shrimp during the upcoming Spring Festival.
The Fengsen Aquaculture Farmers’ Professional Cooperative in Yanuan, Linze county, Zhangye, has transformed sheds into thriving aquaculture environments. Here, farmers meticulously tend to pools where vannamei shrimp are grown, adjusting water temperature and oxygen levels to ensure optimal conditions. The cooperative’s deputy general manager, Ma Guibin, highlighted the popularity of white shrimp on Chinese dinner tables, attributing it to their thin shells, plump bodies, delicious meat, and nutritional value.
Having introduced the cultivation of vannamei shrimp last year using fry from Sanya in Hainan province, the cooperative boasts a remarkable survival rate of over 70%, resulting in income exceeding 1 million yuan. Ma attributes the success to the strontium-rich water in Yanuan and the cooperative’s independently developed water circulation system.
Ma explained that the process, from shrimp fry to market readiness, takes approximately three months. Farmers create a specialized seawater mix and maintain a temperature of around 30°C to create an ideal environment for the white shrimp.
Linze county initiated a white shrimp aquaculture project from Shanghai in 2022, with the first phase completing in December. The cooperative is investing 110 million yuan in the second phase, focusing on cultivating mandarin fish and perch. Upon completion, the project will include eight greenhouses, two water sheds, and a laboratory, doubling the production capacity to an annual output of 60 tons.
Chen Yanlong, deputy director of the fishery administration bureau at the Gansu Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, highlighted the province’s success in shrimp aquaculture since 2017. Experimental aquaculture using abandoned saline-alkali land in Jingtai county, in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, has paved the way for a total aquaculture area of over 40 hectares and an annual output of 100 tons.
In addition to this South American white shrimp, Gansu cultivates crab and trout, with its rainbow trout production accounting for 30% of the domestic total. Chen emphasized how cultivating seafood in the desert and repurposing saline-alkali land is benefiting the people in the inland areas of Northwest China. As Gansu continues to break boundaries, the success of its aquaculture endeavors demonstrates innovation and resilience in transforming challenging landscapes into thriving aquaculture hubs.
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