China: Xinjiang fishery helps meet growing demand for seafood

A breeding base in Alaer city, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, is farming fish and shrimp in saline-alkali water, aiming to reduce China's reliance on imported seafood. The base, invested by Longda Aquaculture Farmers Cooperative, has successfully raised South American white shrimp and grouper, selling over 5,000 grouper and 2.3 million shrimp. The water is recycled, and the fertilizer from breeding is reused for a sustainable model. The town is developing seafood aquaculture, with six cooperatives and enterprises already established, having released over 4.8 million shrimp and 305,000 green crabs, with 15 tons of shrimp already sold.

The saline-alkali land found in Alaer city of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is being used to raise fish and shrimp, feeding the demand for seafood in China and reducing the country's dependence on imported products.At a breeding base at Jinyang town in Alaer, Huang Guang, an agricultural technician, checks South American white shrimp and grouper at the pond."The pH level of the saline-alkaline water is around 8.0, which is suitable for the growth of sea fish and shrimp. We also added trace elements into the water to make the environment more similar to that of the ocean," he said, adding that the elements are edible and pose no harm to human health.In March last year, Huang and his colleagues succeeded in raising South American white shrimp at the base and began trials for breeding grouper in May this year."Our shrimp sells especially well. The taste and quality are similar to seafood from the ocean," he said.Huang said he was initially unaware of Xinjiang's high-quality ...