QINGDAO, Sept 19: Media representatives from Russia, Canada, South Korea, Hungary, Morocco and Pakistan visited a sea cucumber aquaculture base operated by Qingdao Rui Zi Group in Qingdao, Shandong Province, to gain first-hand insight into China’s advances in marine seed breeding, ecological aquaculture and sustainable fisheries.
Located along Chenjiagong Bay in Langya Town on Qingdao’s west coast, the facility combines seed cultivation, nursery operations, scientific research, breeding, processing and marketing. The site is also part of a national marine ranching demonstration area, showcasing an integrated approach to modern, environmentally friendly fisheries development.
During the visit, the journalists toured seed cultivation and expansion workshops, bait cultivation facilities, a marine research institute, standardized breeding ponds and the national marine ranch demonstration area. They observed breeding, seed production and scientific testing processes and learned about the company’s efforts to improve sea cucumber varieties through technological innovation.
The company has established a comprehensive sea cucumber parent-stock resource base by collecting germplasm resources from different geographic populations and selecting varieties with desirable traits, including rapid growth, thick body walls and strong resistance to environmental stress. Its core parent-stock resources have reportedly reached about 60,000 specimens, supporting the development of new varieties.
For years, Rui Zi Group has pursued collaboration among enterprises, universities and research institutions to advance aquaculture breeding technologies. It has established strategic cooperation with institutions including the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences and Ocean University of China, working together on key technologies related to marine seed breeding and aquaculture.
Supported by research and innovation, the company has developed a large-scale ecological farming system and promoted standardized production practices. Its products have obtained relevant green and organic certifications and the company has been recognized in national aquaculture health and ecological farming initiatives.
The visiting journalists showed particular interest in China’s efforts to improve aquatic germplasm resources, apply science and technology to marine seed production, and integrate ecological protection with commercial aquaculture.
The field visit also provided the foreign media with an opportunity to observe how modern aquaculture technologies are being applied to move the sector toward more standardized, technology-driven and environmentally sustainable production.
A company executive said Rui Zi Group would continue focusing on improved sea cucumber varieties, expanding green aquaculture and developing a distinctive sea cucumber brand. The company also expressed its intention to strengthen international exchanges and cooperation in fishery breeding, ecological farming and blue-economy development, contributing to the sustainable growth of the global marine fisheries sector.