The government in Shangdong Province, China has spent CNY 1.2 billion (USD 174 million, EUR 154 million) in subsidizing the development of the offshore aquaculture sector since 2014.
By 2020, the province plans to have 80 to 100 offshore aquaculture platforms in place even as it enforces stricter environmental standards onshore, according to a new plan published by the provincial Ocean and Fisheries Bureau. The bureau has published an update on its 2017-2020 mariculture plan that puts new emphasis on coastal environmental protection and backs its continued promotion of offshore platforms such as the 1,400-ton “Shen Lan Number 1,” which was unveiled to much fanfare in July in the Yellow Sea off Shandong Province.
Docked off the coast of Rizhao, the launch of the Shen Lan Number 1 has been hailed by China’s national media as an “historical breakthrough.” The filling of the platform with 300,000 salmon seedlings received significant coverage on evening national TV news.
The launch is a state-backed collaboration between Wanzefeng Fishery Co. and China Ocean University alongside the Hubei Ocean Engineering Equipment Research Institute, which designed the rig. But the builder, Qingdao Wuchuan Heavy Industry, has been pushing hard and fast into the aquaculture space since it built a similar facility last year for Norwegian firm SalMar.
