AgriMarine Holdings and China’s Zhoushan Fisheries Research Institute (ZFRI) on Wednesday announced that they are partnering on a commercial-scale research project for yellow croaker farming in a closed-containment system.
The joint venture is an important step for AgriMarine, according to the company, as it advances its closed-containment technology into high-value species in China. It is also the first project for the intense rearing of the species in closed containment in China.
Yellow croaker wild populations have declined since the 1970s and are now raised in ocean net cages off Fujian province, contributing to pollution, disease and significant use of antibiotics, resulting in flesh quality issues, according to AgriMarine. Previous research using manufactured feeds has been conducted by the American Soya Association (ASA) in cooperation with the Ping Yang County Fisheries Bureau of Zhejiang Province, and the ASA will provide advice on the feed formulation for the research project conducted by AgriMarine and ZFRI.
The juvenile fish have been transferred into the rearing facility and are expected to reach harvest size in about eight months. When the fish reach a minimum weight of 0.5 kilograms, they will be sold in Shanghai markets.
“The successful rearing of yellow croaker in a sustainable closed system will address consumer demand for healthy fish with similar flesh quality features as wild stocks,” said ZFRI Director Luo.
