Yesterday (June 20th), the 2024 Second Offshore Aquaculture Seafood Market Summit was held in Conference Hall 1, Area D (Hall 20.2) of the Canton Fair Complex in Guangzhou, with over 100 key guests from the offshore aquaculture industry attending.

The forum was jointly organized by Aquaculture Frontier, Liangzhilong·China Ingredient E-commerce Festival, and the Global Seafood Trade Festival Organizing Committee, and was supported by the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, the South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, the National Seawater Fish Industry Technology System, the Golden Pomfret Branch of the China Fisheries Association, the Zhuhai Marine Fishery Industry Development Federation, the Guangdong Provincial Fisheries Association/Marine Ranch Committee (in preparation), and BAP International Aquaculture Certification.

Ky guests attending the summit included Zhu Changliang, the founder of the Global Seafood Trade Festival and Liangzhilong·China Ingredient E-commerce Festival; Guan Changtao, the chief scientist of the National Seawater Fish Industry Technology System and a researcher at the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences; Luo Dan, the editor-in-charge of Aquaculture Frontier; Zhang Dianchang, a researcher at the South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, a position scientist in the National Seawater Fish Industry Technology System, and the director of the South China Sea Aquatic Breeding Innovation Base of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Yuan Zhaofeng, the marketing director of Zhuhai Marine Equipment Research Institute Co., Ltd.; Guo Fuyuan, the assistant president of CIMC Raffles Offshore Engineering Co., Ltd., the general manager of CIMC Blue Ocean Technology Co., Ltd., and the general manager of Jinghai Marine Fishery Co., Ltd.; Yang Huajian, the chairman of the Yangjiang Aquatic Products Society and the general manager of Yangjiang Haina Aquatic Products Co., Ltd.; Li Zufu, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University and the Southern Ocean Laboratory; Zhu Chunhua, the deputy director of the Marine Biological Resource Development Research Center of Guangdong Laboratory (Zhanjiang) and a professor; Zhong Peng, the director of the Marine Industry Center of the Core Investment Center of China Fortune; Song Wei, a researcher at the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences; Huang Guangming, a major account salesperson in the Marketing Department of Zhenrui Industrial Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd.; and Liang Zhenye, the supermarket and catering director of Hainan Xiangtai Fisheries Co., Ltd.

Recently, the country has attached great importance to building a strong marine nation, actively developing the marine economy, accelerating the pace of marine technological innovation, protecting the marine ecological environment, promoting the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and building a marine community with a shared future for mankind, all of which have pointed out the direction for advancing the construction of a strong marine nation. At the 2024 Second Offshore Aquaculture Seafood Market Summit held in Guangzhou, experts, scholars, and industry professionals gathered to discuss and plan for the development of offshore aquaculture together!

Speech by the Guest

In his speech, Zhu Changliang, the founder of the Global Seafood Trade Festival and Liangzhilong·China Food Ingredients E-commerce Festival, mentioned that he was very pleased to gather with everyone in Guangzhou today to jointly explore the sustainable development model and market breakthrough strategies for China's offshore aquaculture. In 2021, the national output of deep-water cage aquaculture was 337,000 tonnes, and in 2022, it increased to 393,000 tonnes, representing a sevenfold increase compared to 2010. Compared to countries that started offshore aquaculture earlier, China's offshore aquaculture output still has significant growth potential in the future.

The founder of the Global Seafood Trade Festival and Liangzhilong·China Food Ingredients E-commerce Festival, Zhu Changliang

In recent years, several provinces such as Shandong, Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan have actively engaged in deep-sea aquaculture practices and are working towards integrating deep-sea aquaculture with marine ranching for mutual development. I believe that freshness is a crucial quality standard for aquatic products, and currently, there is a need for better coordination and alignment between upstream and downstream industries, particularly in processing and sales. I am confident that the development of deep-sea aquaculture will not only address the existing challenges in China's aquaculture sector, such as limited space and high stocking density, but also optimize its industrial structure and quality, ultimately providing more high-quality products for consumers' tables.

In his speech, Guan Changtao, the Chief Scientist of the National Seawater Fish Industry Technology System and a researcher at the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, shared that deep-sea aquaculture in China is currently in a stage of rapid development, and seawater fish align with people's increasing demand for high-quality protein. By the end of 2023, the country had developed over 23,000 gravity-based deep-water cages, more than 50 sets of large truss-type cages and platforms, 11 large aquaculture fences, two aquaculture vessels, and over 20 sets of large-scale aquaculture facilities were still under construction, with an aquaculture output exceeding 470,000 tonnes.

Guan Changtao, Chief Scientist of the National Seawater Fish Industry Technology System and Researcher at the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences

He mentioned that problems in development must be solved through development! At present, China's deep-sea aquaculture is still in the "exploratory development stage" and faces many industrial issues that urgently need to be addressed by industry experts and professionals. Regarding the challenges in deep-sea development, especially in large-scale facility aquaculture, he summarized them into five aspects: safety, economic practicality, supporting equipment, species technology, and ecological efficiency.

Deep-sea aquaculture, especially large-scale facility aquaculture, is a significant development direction, and there are still many technical and industrial challenges to overcome. To achieve seawater aquaculture and truly venture into the deep sea, it requires the joint efforts and continuous advancement of government, industry, academia, and research institutions.

In her speech, Luo Dan, Editor-in-Charge of Aquaculture Frontier, mentioned that deep-sea aquaculture is an important development direction to meet consumers' demand for high-quality aquatic products, and it has achieved many accomplishments. In recent years, several large-scale aquaculture facilities have been completed and put into operation, achieving aquaculture production. The risk resistance capability of marine aquaculture equipment has been continuously optimized and improved, and related supporting facilities have been continuously enhanced. Multiple species such as large yellow croaker, golden pompano, grouper, salmon, and trout are now part of the deep-sea aquaculture industry chain.

Luo Dan, Editor-in-Charge of Aquaculture Frontier

As a leading media in the aquaculture industry, we hope that the future deep-sea aquaculture industry system will become even more robust, achieving a balance between economic and ecological benefits. We also hope that core technologies in deep-sea aquaculture will continue to make breakthroughs, and large-scale aquaculture equipment will develop rapidly. Furthermore, we aspire for deep-sea aquaculture to open up markets, realize a closed-loop across the entire industry chain, and provide a lasting impetus for sustainable industry development, jointly driving China's deep-sea aquaculture towards a brighter future.

Keynote Speech

Zhang Dianchang, a researcher at the South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, a position scientist in the National Seawater Fish Industry Technology System, and the director of the South China Sea Aquaculture Breeding Innovation Base of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, delivered a speech titled "Current Status and Development Trends of China's Deep-Sea Aquaculture". In his speech, he mentioned that since the 1980s, ordinary sea cage aquaculture emerged and subsequently developed rapidly, becoming a significant industry in seawater aquaculture. He pointed out that species truly suitable for deep-sea aquaculture need to meet the following four points: First, they must be able to withstand strong ocean currents; second, they must be able to fully utilize the large space available in deep-sea aquaculture; third, the issue of artificial formulated feed must be resolved; fourth, they must be capable of freeze preservation to meet the requirements for large-sized market products.

Zhang Dianchang, Researcher at the South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Position Scientist in the National Seawater Fish Industry Technology System, and Director of the South China Sea Aquaculture Breeding Innovation Base of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Additionally, he emphasized that current deep-sea aquaculture still needs to consider the screening and cultivation of new species for farming, safe and efficient aquaculture facilities and equipment, efficient aquaculture technologies and process systems, key technologies for green and precise nutritional regulation, processing, circulation, and quality control, as well as intelligent decision-making.

Guo Fuyuan, Assistant President of CIMC Raffles Ocean Engineering Co., Ltd., General Manager of CIMC Blue Ocean Technology Co., Ltd., and General Manager of Jinghai Ocean Fishery Co., Ltd., shared an on-site keynote report titled "Exploration and Market Application of China's Deep-Sea Aquaculture under the Perspective of a Broader Food Concept". During his speech, Guo Fuyuan stated that domestically, we are not inferior to foreign countries in hardware equipment, but there is still room for improvement in the overall process. For instance, we could consider drawing lessons from Norway, where the entire production of feed fisheries is designed into a data model to precisely control feed conversion rates, which is integrated with the operation and deployment of sea cages to enhance automation levels.

Guo Fuyuan, Assistant President of CIMC Raffles Ocean Engineering Co., Ltd., General Manager of CIMC Blue Ocean Technology Co., Ltd., and General Manager of Jinghai Ocean Fishery Co., Ltd.

"Deep-sea aquaculture in the north also faces the issue of wind and waves. The northern sea area experiences winds of force 7 or above and wave heights greater than 1.5 meters for relatively long periods, posing more challenges. Therefore, it is still necessary to determine suitable aquaculture production plans based on the climatic characteristics of the natural sea area, biological characteristics, the safety of aquaculture equipment, and investment and operational costs."

Currently, Jinghai is attempting to adopt development strategies such as full industry chain integration, eco-friendly sustainability, and farming cold-water fish at 38.5° North latitude. They adhere to the "land-sea-island" integrated development model, "fish-algae-shellfish-reef" vertical farming, and the integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries.

Yuan Zhaofeng, Market Director of Zhuhai Marine Equipment Research Institute Co., Ltd., delivered a speech titled "Equipment Empowering New Quality Productivity! Challenges and Prospects of China's Deep-Sea Aquaculture Equipment Applications". He shared that currently, China's deep-sea industrial aquaculture industry is promoting the shift of seawater aquaculture from nearshore to offshore, with deep-sea aquaculture equipment as the core, to establish a new equipment system and production model for deep-sea aquaculture that is intelligent, green, intensive, and scaled.

Yuan Zhaofeng, Market Director of Zhuhai Marine Equipment Research Institute Co., Ltd.

Numerous research and practical applications of large-scale deep-sea aquaculture equipment have been conducted globally, but there is a lack of research and development capabilities for a systematic industrialized equipment system. Practical verification is still needed in terms of the equipment's ability to withstand wind and waves, as well as its economic applicability for aquaculture functions. Currently, there are four major challenges: safety and reliability of deep-sea aquaculture equipment, green economy of deep-sea aquaculture equipment, integrated service and support for deep-sea aquaculture equipment, and intelligent operation of deep-sea aquaculture equipment. However, there are also five major development directions: novel structures and lightweight design, integration of structures and netting, new anchoring systems, integration of farming, harvesting, processing, operation, and maintenance, and the empowerment of aquaculture equipment by AIDOT (Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things).

Yang Huajian, Chairman of the Yangjiang Aquatic Products Society and General Manager of Yangjiang Haina Aquatic Products Co., Ltd., presented a speech titled "Is the 'Singularity Moment' Arriving? Exploring Investment Opportunities and Growth Drivers in China's Bulk Seawater Fish Market". He mentioned that China's seawater aquaculture industry has already gone through the first five waves of development. It was only in recent years that two historic breakthroughs were achieved: "aquaculture surpassing fishing" and "seawater exceeding freshwater". Currently, the construction of marine ranching represented by deep-sea aquaculture, which has been brewing since 2010, may be initiating the sixth wave of China's seawater aquaculture industry, represented by the southern sea golden pompano and the East China Sea large yellow croaker.

Yang Huajian, Chairman of the Yangjiang Aquatic Products Society and General Manager of Yangjiang Haina Aquatic Products Co., Ltd.

Currently, technological innovation in deep-sea aquaculture is developing rapidly, with a significant acceleration in the research and development of aquaculture equipment and facilities. He mentioned that the technical solution for large-scale deep-sea aquaculture in marine engineering protection includes a safety and wave elimination system, an intelligent feeding system, a support and guarantee system, and an environmental monitoring and maintenance system.

In the next 10 years, China may see the emergence of 3-4 or more individual bulk seawater fish categories with an annual production exceeding 1 million tons. This will be achieved through large-scale artificial seedling breeding and production, mature large-scale aquaculture technologies and production methods, mature formulated feeds that can be produced in large quantities, a sufficiently large consumer market, a diverse product line, and suitability for modern food freezing and processing quality requirements, etc.

Professor Li Zufu from Sun Yat-sen University and the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory expressed his thoughts on the development of marine ranching at this summit. He said that currently, deep-sea aquaculture needs to consider input and output while planning and designing the industry model based on the characteristics and market conditions of this industry. At the same time, it requires leading units to take charge and systematically construct and develop, with both state-owned and private enterprises actively participating. In addition, during the development process, the importance of the overall supply chain system needs to be further enhanced. Seedling, aquaculture, processing, and sales should all be integrated to achieve true mutual benefit and win-win results, better supporting the deep-sea industry.

Li Zufu, Professor at Sun Yat-sen University and the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory

The development of the deep-sea industry cannot be separated from the safety of systems and equipment. Different equipment is suitable for different sea areas. For example, in the South China Sea where wind and waves cause severe damage, it is necessary to ensure the safety of fish in the sea. Additionally, it is also necessary to achieve fisheries functions including wind power, wave energy, solar energy, etc., ensuring cleanliness and timely updates and iterations. I hope that in the future, everyone will bring tangible changes to the development of the fish farming industry.

Roundtable Forum

Theme: Prosperity from the Sea! The Current Status and Future Prospects of Deep-Sea Aquaculture in China

Hosts: Shen Jiwen, Aquaculture Frontier - Seafood Guide

Speakers:

• Zhu Chunhua, Deputy Director and Professor of the Marine Biological Resource Development Research Center, Guangdong Laboratory (Zhanjiang)

• Zhong Peng, Director of the Marine Industry Center, Core Investment Center of China Financial Group

• Song Wei, Researcher at the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences

• Huang Guangming, Major Account Sales, Marketing Department, Zhendui Industrial Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd.

• Liang Zhenye, Director of Supermarket and Food and Beverage, South China Xiangtai Fisheries Co., Ltd.

  
  

Zhu Chunhua: Currently, our main research focuses on the species suitable for deep-sea aquaculture, with a primary emphasis on three major categories: red snapper, spotted garoupa, and tuna. Additionally, I believe there are five key questions in deep-sea aquaculture that urgently need to be addressed: what to farm, where to farm, who will farm, how to farm, and who to sell the farmed products to. Our team is actively exploring these questions. Since 2016, our team has been focusing on red snapper. Currently, the larger fish have reached around 12 pounds. We are working on solving the issues of seedlings, feed, and sales, striving to propose a suitable whole-chain solution.

Zhong Peng: We started researching the marine industry and digital industry two years ago and have explored almost all the current technological models of aquaculture. In essence, the sales volume of our marine products exceeds 70 million tons. However, the consumption of such high-quality products has not achieved full coverage in the inland market. Therefore, we believe there is significant potential for future production capacity. Based on grassroots research, we have partially solved the issue of seedling supply and adopted micro-systems for environmental and supply issues. We precisely grasp the direction of ocean currents and water temperature conditions. We consider the speed of market expansion to determine the allocation of variety quantities and solutions for improving aquaculture technology. Currently, market demand is showing a trend of scale, and we also need to establish a large entity with competitive advantages and propose more technology integration solutions.

Song Wei: From the first-generation dynamic cage to the gravity cage, we have conducted research on the craftsmanship, installation, and materials of cages and carried out a series of breakthroughs in aquaculture technology. Currently, the engineering-based fenced aquaculture technology for large yellow croaker in Zhejiang Province is relatively mature, with cages accommodating over 2.7 million cubic meters of water. At the same time, deep-sea aquaculture is showing good development trends, becoming larger, more diversified, and automated with policy support. In the development of gravity cages and truss cages, marine engineering enterprises are continuously infiltrating into aquaculture. Next, this industry still needs close collaboration, from aquaculture, equipment to the market. It requires not only the knowledge reserves of scientific researchers but also the research and development and updates from equipment enterprises. I believe that the deep-sea aquaculture industry will develop towards scale, modernization, informatization, and intelligence, ultimately achieving chain development across the entire market from equipment, breeding, aquaculture, processing, logistics to sales.

Huang Guangming: Deep-sea aquaculture is moving towards diversification, informatization, and intelligence, which is reflected in mobile aquaculture vessels and communication equipment, monitoring equipment, and systems deployed on cages. Currently, AI intelligence is mainly applied to engineering cages, presenting the overall situation of existing aquaculture equipment, environmental conditions, and fish conditions. In the future, it will also enhance the safety of aquaculture equipment and the domain. Currently, there is fish face recognition technology abroad. If it develops rapidly, its application can enhance fish safety. Additionally, large equipment has the disadvantage of high depreciation costs. From a technical perspective, if we can leverage AI and big data to empower it, we may be able to find its optimal projection curve.

Liang Zhenye: As a production enterprise, we are concerned about pests, natural disasters, and market issues. Recently, due to the tightening of bank loans and the reduction of support from feed mills, it is expected that the main focus of golden pompano aquaculture this year will be on large enterprises. In terms of the deep-sea product market, the aquaculture output this year is roughly the same as last year. It is estimated that the overall price trend will slightly decrease but will remain relatively stable. Furthermore, the overall aquaculture products, such as tilapia, basa fish, and tilapia, will experience slower growth in prices and markets due to high raw material prices. However, we also believe that the food and beverage industry will recover in the future.