At dawn on Sanduao Bay in Ningde, the turquoise sea shimmers as rows of deep-water cages are laid out in neat formation. Fisherman Song Xiangguo lifts a large yellow croaker, its golden scales glittering in the sunlight, drawing a steady stream of curious tourists asking about the price.
Fujian's Ningde is known as the 'home of China's large yellow croaker,' with a full-industry-chain output value surpassing 20 billion yuan — four out of every five large yellow croakers in China come from here. Recently, a Xinhua reporter joined the 'Vibrant China Field Notes' press corps to visit this 'pasture on the sea' and listen to the 'new song of farming the ocean' behind a single fish.
At the end of the last century, wild large yellow croaker stocks declined. Researchers overcame the hurdle of artificial breeding, enabling the species to leap from ocean fishing to aquaculture. Today, modern technology is taking the large yellow croaker to a new level.
In the past we used small cages that averaged only 20 to 30 tonnes per cage and were prone to aging and damage. Now, with deep-water, wave-resistant cages, each averages about 50 tonnes, said Song. With more room to swim, the fish get more exercise and their meat quality improves noticeably.
You Chengyin, deputy director of Ningde's Municipal Ocean and Fisheries Bureau, said the city has been reaching for technological space in recent years to drive industrial upgrading. We have brought together university research teams and leading enterprises to breed disease-resistant new strains of large yellow croaker, bringing their quality closer to the wild state.
Good fish deserve good cooking. While refining the farming end, Ningde has also explored culinary innovation and deep processing to achieve 'one fish, many dishes.'
Yellow-croaker pan-fried buns, jasmine-smoked yellow croaker... At a restaurant in Ningde's Jiaocheng District, an ingenious 'yellow croaker banquet' lets diners feast to their heart's content, with the fish transformed into more than a dozen creatively distinct dishes.
