The YSLME Phase II Project organized field visits to two active National Marine Ranch Areas in Qingdao, PR China, that were created and managed Luhaifeng Marine Ranching Company and Fuhan Marine Ranching Company, respectively from 6-9 May 2019. Participants were from the Fisheries Resources Agency (FIRA) of RO Korea, (KOEM), Yantai University, Yellow Sea Fishery Research Institute (YSFRI) of PR China and the Bureau of Marine Development and Fisheries of Haiyang City of Qingdao, PR China.
Participants during the visit with Luhaifeng Marine Ranching Company
Participants at the Yellow Sea Fishery Research Institute (YSFRI) of PR China
Participants at Yellow Sea Fishery Research Institute (YSFRI) of PR China
At the Fuhan Marine Ranching Company
Participants at the Fuhan Marine Ranching Company
Organized by the Project Management Office (PMO) of the YSLME Phase II Project, the purpose of the field visits was to share experiences with participants and improve future management decisions on fisheries restocking. It also aims to deepen the understanding of how to improve the ecosystem carrying capacity of the Yellow Sea with respect to provisioning services with the project targets in mind.
The leading expert on marine ranching construction of PR China, Mr. Changtao Guan, opened the first visit and introduced the different products and species produced by Luhaifeng Marine Ranching Company. The participants were able to see the net cage platform area and how the constructed deep-water anti-wave and wind net cages for valuable farmed fish species, such as seabass and Sebastodes fuscescens, are built and used. Afterwards, participants were shown the online system used for underwater monitoring.
A workshop was also conducted during the visit, which began with welcome remarks from Mr. Zhengguang Zhu, Environment Officer of the PMO. Ms. Jiao Li (YSFRI) then presented the progress on research and construction of Shiquetan Marine Ranching in Qingdao. Mr. Zhiyang Wang, Assistant Professor from Yantai University, presented the construction and recreational fisheries done by Fuhan Marine Ranching Company. Mr. Sungho Suh from FIFA presented on how to establish and create marine ranches on the west coast of RO Korea. Mr. Yonghyun Jwa (FIFA), introduced the current status of the marine ranching project in Jeju, RO Korea. The workshop followed with a discussion on cooperation areas between RO Korea and PR China, including experience sharing on the technical innovations of marine ranching constructions.
The field visit to Fuhan Marine Ranching Company, on 8 May, began with a demonstration of the recreational fishing platform, followed by a site visit of the construction of artificial reefs in Haiyang. Mr. Haizhou Li, Vice Director of Fuhan, introduced different marine ranching products, the quality tracking system, stock enhancement and recreational fisheries being done by the Haiyang Marine Ranching Company. In addition, Mr. Li introduced the progress of construction of a marine ranching seaweed farm and construction of offshore ranches for deep-water wind-wave resistant aquaculture cages and far-reaching intelligent aquaculture platforms.
For more information, please contact Mr. Zhengguang Zhu, Environmental Officer of the PMO at: zhengguangz@unops.org.