A Beijing-based firm specializing in marine and air navigation systems has launched a subsidiary targeting projects in aquaculture, distant-water fishing, and seedlings for the aquaculture sector.
Hai Ying (Hainan) Technology Co. was established in late August 2022 with a registered capital of CNY 100 million (USD 15 million, EUR 15 million) by Beijing Hailanxin Data Technology Co., which also goes by the English name Highlander.
With domestic and export clients, Highlander describes its primary business as “electronic navigation and communications equipment and automation systems for the marine industry.”
The firm said it “designs and delivers both large- and small-scale electronic surveillance systems to maritime port authorities, private port operators, coast guards, offshore oil and gas exploration and production companies, aqua farmers, wind farm operators and other enterprises needing to monitor valuable assets.” Highlander also builds “surface movement radar for airports.”
It’s not the first time that a Chinese technology company has invested in aquaculture. One of China’s leading IT firms, Legend Holdings, controls Jia Wo Agricultural Development Co. – Joyvio – which purchased Chilean salmon firm Australis Seafoods in June 2019.
Chinese investors have looked to seafood as a high-margin growth industry as the country’s market shifts to a preference for pricier proteins. China’s demand for imported seafood could more than treble by 2030, according to a report published last year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science.
Titled “China at a Crossroads: An Analysis of China's Changing Seafood Production and Consumption,” the report predicts that by 2030, China will need between 6 and 18 million metric tons of seafood imports as domestic seafood consumption outstrips production.
