China News Service, Huzhou, September 5 (Huang Yanjun) In the past few days, in Xiazhuhu Street, Deqing, Huzhou, Zhejiang, a freshwater shrimp breeding factory in Shuangqiao Village has ushered in a "bumper harvest": more than 40 constant-temperature shrimp ponds are neatly arranged, with layers of shrimp nests stacked in the water, with freshwater shrimps clinging to them.
The freshwater shrimp, which was supposed to be put on the market in late September, has created a "time lag" in the market with the help of intelligent breeding models.
"In 2025, we will invest in the construction of a factory breeding workshop, move the shrimp from the open-air pond mouth indoors, establish a constant temperature and constant oxygen circulating water system, and hand over growth factors such as water temperature and dissolved oxygen to the hands of the machine." Gui Quanbin, the person in charge of the operation of the project, said that this is the first batch of commercial shrimp to be launched in this factory.
A shrimp breeding and breeding factory in Deqing, Zhejiang. Photo courtesy of Deqing County Party Committee Propaganda Department
Li Fei, an associate researcher at the Zhejiang Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute, said that the project's first factory-based intelligent breeding technology system for freshwater shrimp has filled the technical gap in large-scale intelligent breeding of freshwater shrimp in the Yangtze River Delta region and even across the country.
After the project is fully put into production, it is expected to produce 5.2 billion shrimp seedlings and 130,000 kilograms of commercial shrimp throughout the year, with annual sales revenue of approximately 145 million yuan (RMB, the same below).
Huzhou City is the "core engine" of the aquaculture industry in the Yangtze River Delta region. Relying on the unique water town location and high-quality aquatic resources, local freshwater aquaculture is large-scale and covers a wide area, benefiting many farmers.
In recent years, Huzhou has continued to empower traditional fisheries with technology, promote new models of factory-based and intelligent farming, and is at the forefront of the smart transformation of modern aquaculture.
The young team of the Water Cube Research Center of the Huzhou Research Institute of Zhejiang University went to the countryside with an "intelligent fish and shrimp feeding boat" to provide services, wrote the paper at the entrance of the pond, and dropped the results in the fields; the "future mobile digital fishery" model was promoted in many places in Huzhou. Baiting, inspection, and transportation are all handed over to robots, and the staff can manage a pond of fish while sitting in the monitoring room...
Aquaculture, which originally "depended on the weather" and was severely limited by natural conditions, is facing an opportunity for transformation. The city proposes to improve the digitalization level of the aquaculture industry, and by 2030, the total scale of land-based facilities will reach 2 million square meters.
Behind the industrial transformation is a real "double harvest" of ecological environment and economic benefits.
For example, in Zhili Town, Wuxing District, a mandarin fish "swimmed" and generated an output value of 100 million yuan.
Zhili Town is located on the south bank of Taihu Lake, with low-lying terrain and dense river networks. There are records of breeding and selling mandarin fish in history. The local waters are an important part of Taihu Port, a world irrigation engineering heritage, and the mandarin fish produced are white, tender and delicious.
Stepping into a mandarin fish breeding base in the town, a large digital screen is refreshing monitoring indicators such as water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH value at each pond entrance in real time. Internet of Things sensors throughout the fish ponds monitor the operating status of each breeding water body around the clock.
Farmer Shen Genfa said that in the past, most fish farming relied on personal experience and went it alone, fearing disease and sales. Now with the use of new Internet of Things technology, there is no need to worry about the whole process from releasing seedlings to selling fish. In 2025, his 30-acre fish pond will earn a net profit of more than 400,000 yuan.
According to reports, the local area currently mainly implements the "cooperative + farmer" mechanism of linking farmers with agriculture. Leading enterprises provide high-quality seeds, and a team of experts provides technical guidance. Ecological cycle models such as "aquaponics" and "runway fish farming" are implemented, which not only reduces breeding risks, but also improves unit output efficiency.
Up to now, Wuxing District has established 6 "Zhili Mandarin Fish" industrial alliances with farmers, radiating and driving more than 500 surrounding farmers to integrate into the industrial chain, and the average annual household income increased by more than 80,000 yuan.
A scene of the Wuxing Aquaculture Base in Zhejiang. Photo courtesy of Wuxing District Media Center
The "old craft" of fish farming is combined with new technology, which can not only take advantage of the endowment of water and soil, but also make up for the shortcomings of traditional farming, allowing farmers to enjoy "technical rice".
Digang Village, Hefu Town, Nanxun District, also has a history of fish farming for thousands of years. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, local ancestors dug pond foundations in swamps, raised fish in the ponds, planted mulberry leaves on the ponds, fed silkworms with mulberry leaves, fed fish with silkworm excrement, and fertilized the ponds with fish manure, forming an exquisite ecological cycle system.
However, traditional breeding methods have low yields and high disease risks, and their shortcomings have gradually been revealed in the development of the times. In addition, a large number of young people have gone out to work, and the ancient fishery once faced the dilemma of having no successors. In recent years, the local fishery industry has been activated through technology, pushing ecological fish to "swim" to the big market.
In a local comprehensive freshwater seed industry base, staff are carrying out family selection and breeding of freshwater fish fry.
"In the past, most of the fish and shrimp seedlings needed by surrounding farmers were purchased from other places, or they were taken from wild ponds and cultivated by themselves. The quality of the seedlings varied, and the survival rate was low." said Kong Pengtao, director of the base's production plant.
Today, factory-based recirculating aquaculture technology can screen out high-quality fry strains that are more resistant to disease, highly adaptable, and resistant to transportation. These seedlings not only cover thousands of acres of breeding water in Diggang area, but also radiate to surrounding areas and are even exported to all parts of the country.
From traditional experience to digital intelligence breeding, what has changed is the model, but what remains unchanged is the survival wisdom of harmonious coexistence between people and nature in water towns. On the shores of Taihu Lake, fish and shrimps are "swimming" a new green development path empowered by science and technology and bringing prosperity to farmers. (over)
