China finds poster boy for new ‘ecological’ aquaculture drive

There are signs that China’s efforts to professionalize its aquaculture sector is finally paying off and bringing younger participants into the sector, making for better quality, higher-margin products.

With China’s Agriculture Ministry already making “ecological production” its priority for aquaculture in 2017, official media has been lionzing Liu Zhi Sheng, a 26-year-old farmer of Mandarin fish in Hubei province, who learned his all-eco, low-intensity approach to fish-farming at an aquaculture training center in Jingzhou city.

Traceability of inputs, as well as low stocking density, are hallmarks of Liu’s production with a feed mix of maize, wheat and rapeseed sourced locally. Liu has also been praised for selling his fish on-site as well as to local wholesale markets.

China’s aquaculture sector has long been hampered by a surfeit of small-scale, untrained farmers chasing what were perceived to be good profits when aquaculture was a largely export-oriented business.

However, the urbanization of Chinese society in recent years and emptying out of rural areas has created space for lower-intensity, higher-quality production aimed at domestic consumption.

China has a long tradition of using “model” workers and officials to promote official goals. Perhaps the biggest draw for would-be ecological fish farmers will be Liu’s stated annual income as reported by the Wuhan Daily News: CNY 300,000 (USD 43,605.60, EUR 40,558.18), making Liu very wealthy by the standards of China’s small-scale farmers and industrial workers, many of whom make less than one-tenth of Liu’s stated annual take.

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