Aquaculture in China
General characteristics (2004 unless otherwise stated) | |
---|---|
Lake area | 196,000 km2 (76,000 sq mi) (incl reservoirs) |
River area | 74,550 km2 (28,780 sq mi) |
Land area | 9,326,410 km2 (3,600,950 sq mi) |
Employment | 7.9 million persons (2004)[1] |
Consumption | 25.8 kg (57 lb) fish per capita (2003) |
Harvest (2004 unless otherwise stated) | |
Wild total | 19.9 million tonnes (21,900,000 tons) |
Aquaculture total | 32.4 million tonnes (35,700,000 tons) (2005) |
Fish total | 49.5 million tonnes (54,600,000 tons) (2005) |
China, with one-fifth of the world's population, accounts for two-thirds of the world's reported aquaculture production.[2][3]
China's 2005 reported catch of wild fish, caught in rivers, lakes, and the sea, was 17.1 million tonnes. This means that aquaculture accounts for nearly two-thirds of China's reported total output.
The principal aquaculture-producing regions are close to urban markets in the middle and lower
Early history
Aquaculture began about 3500 BC in China with the farming of the
In 475 BC, the Chinese politician Fan Li wrote the earliest known treatise on fish farming,[4][7] Yang Yu Ching (Treatise on fish breeding). The original document is in the British Museum.
During the
From 1500 AD, methods of collecting carp fry from rivers and then rearing them in ponds were developed."[6]
Recent history
The major carp species used traditionally in Chinese aquaculture are the
In the past, fish culture in China has been a family business, with traditional techniques passed from generation to generation.[12] However, in the late 1960s the Chinese government began a move to the modern induced breeding technologies, which has resulted in a rapid expansion of freshwater aquaculture in China.[12][13]
From 1978, China's economic policies moved from central planning towards a market economy, opening new markets for aquaculture products. The effect of this, together with further technological advances, has been to move Chinese aquaculture towards industrial scale levels of production.[12] In the 1980s, many species other than carp, such as other species of fish, crustaceans, molluscs and seaweeds, were brought into production. Shrimp aquaculture significantly increased as a result of both state economic incentivizes (including tax breaks on imported fertilizer and equipment) as well as a global shrimp shortage following a 1987 virus that devastated shrimp farms in Taiwan.[14]: 171-172
Overproduction of shrimp increased vulnerability of the shrimp aquaculture population to viruses, and in the Great Shrimp Disaster of 1993, the
In the late 1990s, CAFS scientists developed a new variant of the
-
A common carp on a Ming porcelain pot, c. 1540 AD
-
Fishing in a fish pond system at Daye Lake nearDaye
-
Coastal aquaculture installations by the Bohai Sea, 1979
-
The same area in 2000
Statistics
Since 2002, China has been the world largest exporter of fish and fish products. In 2005, exports, including aquatic plants, were valued at US$7.7 billion, with Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea as the main markets. In 2005, China was sixth largest importer of fish and fish products in the world, with imports totalling US$4.0 billion.[2]
In 2003, the global per capita consumption of fish was estimated at 16.5 kg, with Chinese consumption, based on her reported returns, at 25.8 kg.[2]
The
Since the 1970s, the reform policies have resulted considerable development of China's aquaculture, both marine and inland. The total used for aquaculture went from 2.86 million hectares in 1979 to 5.68 million hectares in 1996. Over the same time span, production increased from 1.23 million tonnes to 15.31 million tonnes.[16]
In 2005, worldwide aquaculture production including aquatic plants was worth US$78.4 billion. Of this, the Chinese production was worth US$39.8 billion. In the same year there were about 12 million fish farmers worldwide. Of these, China reported 4.5 million employed full-time in aquaculture.[2]
Top 10 species grown in China in 2005 | |
Species | Tonnes[2] |
---|---|
Japanese kelp | 4 314 000 |
Grass carp | 3 857 000 |
Pacific cupped oyster
|
3 826 000 |
Silver carp | 3 525 000 |
Japanese carpet shell | 2 857 000 |
Common carp
|
2 475 000 |
Wakame | 2 395 000 |
Bighead carp | 2 182 000 |
Crucian carp | 2 083 000 |
Yesso scallop
|
1 036 000 |
Production, area and yield: 2003[17] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Total production (tons) |
Area used (ha) |
Yield (kg/ha) | |
Overall total | 30,275,795 | 7,103,648 | 4,260 |
Marine culture | 12,533,061 | 1,532,152 | 8,180 |
Inland culture | 17,742,734 | 5,571,496 | 3,180 |
Pond | 12,515,093 | 2,398,740 | 5,220 |
Lake | 1,051,930 | 936,262 | 1,120 |
Reservoirs | 1,841,245 | 1,660,027 | 1,110 |
Rivers | 738,459 | 382,170 | 1,930 |
Rice paddies | 1,023,611 | 1,558,042 | 660 |
Other | 572,396 | 194,297 | 2,950 |
Inland aquaculture
In 1979, inland aquaculture occupied 237.8 million hectares and produced 813,000 tonnes. In 1996, they occupied 485.8 million hectares and produced 10.938 million tonnes. In that year, 17 provinces produced 100,000 tonnes from inland aquaculture.[16]
Pond culture is the most common method of inland aquaculture (73.9% in 1996). These ponds are mostly found around the
In recent times, China has extended its skills in culturing pond system to open waters such as lakes, rivers, reservoirs and channels, by incorporating cages, nets and pens.[16]
Fish farming in paddy fields is also developing. In 1996, paddy fish farming occupied 12.05 million hectares producing 376,800 tonnes. A further 16 million hectares of paddy fields are available for development.[16]
Species introduced from other parts of the world are also being farmed, such as
Besides fish and crustaceans,
Since 1990s, research and experimentation have been conducted in China for remediation and utilization of alkali land via combined agriculture and aquaculture practices, with considerable success and experiences. [21][22][23] Aquaculture technology of utilizing inland saline-alkali water for seafood production is becoming mature, covering wide-range of seafood species including shrimps, crabs, shellfish and fish such as sea bass and grouper.[24][25]
Marine aquaculture
Using current culture technologies, much farmed cultivation of marine plants and animals can be applied within the 10 metre
Between 1989 and 1996, areas of cultivated shallow sea were increased from 25,200 to 114,200 hectares, areas of mudflat from 266,800 to 533,100 hectares, and areas of bay from 131,300 to 174,800 hectares. The 1979 production was 415,900 tonnes on 117,000 hectares, and the 1996 production was 4.38 million tonnes on 822,000 hectares.[16]
Since the 1980s, the government has encouraged the introduction of different marine species, including the large
In 1989, production of
Over-reporting
In 2001, the fisheries scientists Reg Watson and Daniel Pauly expressed concerns in a letter to Nature that China was over-reporting its catch from wild fisheries in the 1990s.[26][27] They said that made it appear that the global catch since 1988 was increasing annually by 300,000 tonnes, whereas it was really shrinking annually by 350,000 tonnes. Watson and Pauly suggested this may have been related to Chinese policies where state entities that monitored the economy were also tasked with increasing output. Also, until more recently, the promotion of Chinese officials was based on production increases from their own areas.[28][29]
China disputed this claim. The official
See also
References
- ^
- ^ FAO report: China responsible for two-thirds of world aquaculture production Archived 2011-06-17 at the Wayback Machine – FishUpdate.com
- ^ a b c d Parker R (2000) Aquaculture science Page 6. Delmar Thomson Learning.
- ISBN 9780300231885. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ a b History of aquaculture Archived 2008-07-19 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2 August 2009.
- ISBN 9780080469805. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ISBN 0-444-81950-9.
- ISBN 92-5-101113-3.
- ^ Ruǎn Jīnshān; Li Xiùzhū; Lín Kèbīng; Luō Dōnglián; Zhōu Chén; Cài Qīnghǎi (阮金山;李秀珠;林克冰;罗冬莲;周宸;蔡清海), 安海湾南岸滩涂养殖贝类死亡原因调查分析 (Analysis of the causes of death of farmed shellfish on the mudflats in the southern part of Anhai Bay), 《福建水产》 (Fujian Aquaculture), 2005-04
- ^ a b c CAFS research achievement Archived 2012-03-28 at the Wayback Machine CAFS. Accessed 26 July 2011.
- ^ FAO: National Aquaculture Sector Overview: China. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
- FAO: Project report: AC193/E. Rome.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-295-75171-9.
- ISBN 978-983-2346-35-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j
- ^ People's Republic of China: 1999 - 2003 Aquaculture Production Archived 2007-06-28 at the Wayback Machine - Pacific Rim Fisheries Program
- ^ Guo Yan, Fisheries Development in Xinjiang, China
- ^ "科技"拯救"荒滩,向盐碱地要粮食". 光明网. 2023-06-29. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
- ^ "Pond Aquaculture in Waterlogged Salt-Alkali Land". Springer. 2023-04-05.
- Wikidata Q124547052.
- ^ 王春琳 (2023-09-26). "盐碱地养海鲜让不毛之地勃发多样生机". Retrieved 2024-02-14.
- ^ "海鲜返销沿海省市 新疆何以成中国的"大漠渔乡"". China News Service. 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- S2CID 205023890. Archived from the originalon 2010-05-31.
- PMID 11734811.
- ^ Heilprin, John (2001) Chinese Misreporting Masks Dramatic Decline In Ocean Fish Catches Associated Press, 29 November 2001.
- ^ Reville, William (2002) Something fishy about the figures The Irish Times, 14 Mar 2002
- ^ China disputes claim it over-reports fish catch Associated Press, 17 December 2002.
- Archive-It, Page 5.
- ^ Fishery statistics: Reliability and policy implications
Further reading
- Tapiador DD, Henderson HF, Delmendo MN and Tsutsui H (1979) Freshwater fisheries and aquaculture in China ISBN 92-5-100328-9.
- Weimin Miao W and Xinhua Yuan X (2007) "The Carp Farming Industry in China - An Overview" In Leung P, Cheng-Sheng Lee C and O'Bryen PJ (Eds.) (2007) Species and System Selection for Sustainable Aquaculture Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8138-2691-2.
- Zhijie G, Yingliang X, Xiangguo Z, Yong W, Daobo A and Sugiyama S (2008) Review of fishery information and data collection systems in China[ISBN 978-92-5-105979-1.