A large indoor sea cucumber aquaculture project in northern China is on hold due to a disagreement between the developer and the local government.
The farm – currently sitting idle in the Yingkou Free Trade Industrial Zone – is being built at an estimated cost of USD 25 million (EUR 22.6 million).
The dispute centers on the what Lim Shrimp Organization CEO and Chief Aquaculture Officer Djames Lim claims is the non-provision of electric power and other utilities to the facility at the Yingkou Free Trade Industrial Zone. Progress on opening what he previously billed as the world’s largest indoor temperature-controlled, multi-stack, multi-story sea cucumber culture project is currently stalled, he told SeafoodSource
“It’s on hold at this moment due to the government's non-compliance to the agreement,” Lim said.
Even though construction on the site was completed in 2021, the lack of follow-through by the local government to connect it to the local power grid has halted production. Lim said his firm’s land lease agreement with the government required it to provide seven different types of infrastructure –electricity, road, water, telecommunication, sewage, rubbish collection, and internet – if the lease was paid in advance.
“The lease was paid up, but only some of the infrastructure was connected,” Lim said. “Because the main electricity is not connected, we are forced to use a generator to generate power, which is uneconomical. We are currently seeking settlement with the government on this matter.”
Domestic demand for sea cucumber in China remains high, according to Lim. “And the price has increased as well,” he said.
The new facility was planned in part as a response to climate change’s toll on local sea cucumber stocks. Several high-profile mass mortalitiy incidents in Dalian in recent years suggest rising water temperatures are increasing sea cucumber mortality levels in Chinese waters.
Photo courtesy of Djames Lim
