The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Aquaculture Center Network, and the National Shrimp and Crab Industry Technology System served as the technical guidance units for the conference. It was jointly organized by the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Association and the China-ASEAN Marine Aquaculture Technology "One Belt One Road" Joint Laboratory. The event was co-hosted by the Shrimp Branch of the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Association, the South China Representative Office of the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Association, the Guangzhou Representative Office of the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Association, the Guangdong Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Association, and the Global Seafood (Shrimp) Trade Festival Organizing Committee.

Wang Xueguang, Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Association, presided over the opening ceremony and the main forum.

Huang Mengxin, a second-level inspector from the Guangdong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, delivered a speech.

In his speech, Huang Mengxin, a second-level inspector from the Guangdong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, mentioned that shrimp is one of the most important aquaculture species in Guangdong Province. Guangdong is one of the earliest provinces to cultivate Penaeus vannamei, and it ranks first in the country in terms of shrimp seedling production and the number of new varieties. In recent years, the production of Penaeus vannamei in Guangdong Province has shown a steady increase, with an average annual growth rate of about 7%. In 2023, the output was approximately 843,000 tons, accounting for nearly 40% of the country's total production, making Guangdong the undisputed largest province for Penaeus vannamei production in China. He further stated that this conference is not only a platform for showcasing achievements and sharing wisdom but also a powerful engine driving the high-quality development of Guangdong's fisheries industry. It is also a significant measure to implement the "Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Project" and promote high-quality rural development.

Chen Jiayong, Deputy Director of the National Aquatic Technology Extension and Promotion Station and the Chinese Society of Fisheries, delivered a speech.

In his speech, Chen Jiayong, Deputy Director of the National Aquatic Technology Extension and Promotion Station and the Chinese Society of Fisheries, stated that to better meet the needs of the people for a better life, it is imperative to provide more and higher-quality aquatic products. Shrimp, as the aquatic product with the largest trade volume in China, is a pillar industry for marine aquaculture in China and even the world. It is an important part of people's daily food basket, a significant source of high-quality animal protein, and a crucial aspect of implementing the concept of a diversified food supply system. Currently, China's shrimp industry faces both opportunities and challenges. It is recommended to focus on seed industry revitalization, disease prevention and control, and market consumption. For seed industry revitalization, resources from industry, academia, research, and application should be integrated, with a focus on enabling shrimp seed enterprises to play a leading role, accelerating breakthroughs in breeding, and cultivating more high-quality shrimp breeds with independent intellectual property rights. Disease prevention and control should actively promote the establishment of shrimp hatcheries without specified aquatic animal diseases, preventing and controlling shrimp diseases from the source, optimizing aquaculture modes, strengthening disease prevention and control during the aquaculture process, and improving aquaculture efficiency. Market consumption should further tap market potential, explore diversified international emerging markets to resist market risks, and continue to explore potential domestic demand markets.

Wang Dan, Director of the Science, Technology, Market, and Processing Division of the Bureau of Fisheries and Fishery Administration, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Wang Dan, Director of the Science, Technology, Market, and Processing Division of the Bureau of Fisheries and Fishery Administration, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, mentioned that shrimp is a globally important aquaculture species. Since the 90s, China has become the world's largest shrimp producer. In the past five years, China's shrimp production has grown at an average annual rate of 4.5%, with a year-on-year increase of 6.4% in 2023. Over the same period, China's shrimp imports have grown at an average annual rate of 10.4%, with a year-on-year increase of 12.6% in 2023. The strong demand in China's market provides robust support and sufficient momentum for the development of the global shrimp industry. She pointed out that it is hoped that government departments at all levels will take local conditions into account, consider the shrimp industry as an important component, design and deploy the aquaculture industry chain, and provide support to specialty industries. It is hoped that industry associations and alliances will promptly understand shrimp industry policies in various countries, pay attention to tariff adjustment dynamics, and propose policy recommendations that conform to international rules and benefit our industry. It is hoped that scientific and technological workers will plan industry-wide technological services across the entire industry chain based on existing research on varieties, feed, diseases, and other aspects, addressing scientific issues in the industry in an integrated manner. It is hoped that aquaculture enterprises will collaborate, focus on standardized production, prioritize quality and safety, and produce products that meet emerging demands and satisfy the people.

This conference, themed "Promoting Healthy and Sustainable Development of the Global Shrimp Industry," closely follows the new trends in industry development, providing a deep analysis and assessment of the current status and trends of the global shrimp industry from multiple dimensions such as supply chain, market layout, and consumption trends. Many domestic and foreign experts and scholars, industry organizations, representatives from upstream, midstream, and downstream enterprises in the industry chain, as well as relevant domestic fisheries authorities, promotion systems, e-commerce platforms, and restaurant representatives gathered to jointly discuss the global shrimp supply and demand situation and development paths.

In the main forum on "New Trends in the Development of the Global Shrimp Industry," combining multiple factors such as the global economic situation, market demand, and trade barriers, a deep analysis was conducted on the new situations and trends faced during the development of industries such as breeding, aquaculture, and trade. It proposed medium and long-term industry development trends, providing insights for adjusting the industrial layout, optimizing the industrial structure, and promoting sustainable industrial development. Authority experts such as Shirlene Maria Anthonysamy, FAO fisheries officer and project leader of GLOBEFISH, Cui He, President of the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance, He Jianguo, Chief Scientist of the National Shrimp and Crab Industry Technology System, and Kong Jie, Researcher at the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, delivered conference reports.

To share industry development trends and cutting-edge information from multiple dimensions and levels, the conference set up special report sessions focusing on hot areas such as new models and products in the shrimp industry, global shrimp production and trade, market and consumption, and innovation trends. It also included thematic dialogue sessions for deep exchanges on topics such as the global shrimp industry supply and demand situation and the development trends of China's shrimp industry in the era of industrial differentiation.

In the special report session on "New Models and Products," representatives from well-known domestic and foreign enterprises shared the production trends, market space, and business strategies of small-scale greenhouse aquaculture with Chinese characteristics, the latest solutions in shrimp nutrition from the animal health sector, and research progress on shrimp breeding in Thailand.

The special report session on "Global Shrimp Production and Trade" gathered heavyweight guests from Ecuador, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, and other countries around the world to share the latest data on shrimp production and trade in their countries, providing a deep analysis of industry development characteristics and plans.

In the thematic dialogue on "Global Shrimp Industry Supply and Demand Situation," representatives from market and producing countries jointly discussed the global shrimp production growth potential and demand trends in the three core markets of China, the United States, and Europe under the current environment of a global economic downturn and weak market.

On the 21st (tomorrow), the conference will focus on the consumption demand and innovation trends in the Chinese shrimp market. During the special report on "Market and Consumption," guests will introduce the market layout strategies, consumer demands, and changes in business formats of Chinese enterprises from various perspectives such as processing, channels, retail, and dining, exploring new driving forces in the Chinese shrimp consumption market.

In the special report on "Innovation Trends," guests will share the latest technological developments in the Chinese shrimp industry revolving around topics such as feed nutrition, intelligent equipment, biological safety, and innovative processing. They will also discuss the practices and explorations of the Chinese industry in optimizing primary production, deepening secondary production, and promoting tertiary production with technology as a breakthrough.

In the thematic dialogue on "Development Trends of China's Shrimp Industry in the Era of Industrial Differentiation," guests will fully explore the development space, transformation strategies, and thoughts on future directions of enterprises from aspects such as the current operating status, production efficiency, core competitiveness of Chinese shrimp enterprises, as well as new market channels, new linkages, and market potential.

Concurrently with the conference, the 2024 Second Global Seafood (Shrimp) Trade Festival, the Liangzhilong·2024 Fourth China Cantonese Cuisine Ingredient E-commerce Festival, and the 2024 Tenth Guangdong International Aquatic Products Exposition will be held, providing an efficient platform for exchange and cooperation for global shrimp suppliers, traders, and consumers. The shrimp exhibition hall focuses on the global shrimp billion-dollar consumer market, bringing together industry chain resources from home and abroad. Through exhibition and sales, communication, trade matching, and industry seminars, it establishes an efficient platform for win-win cooperation for domestic and foreign shrimp suppliers and traders, deeply developing the global shrimp market.

The convening of this conference has built a platform for exchange and cooperation for the global shrimp industry and pointed out the direction for the future development of the industry. We believe that with the joint efforts of colleagues in the global shrimp industry, the shrimp industry will continue to steadily progress on the path of high-quality development.