China on Thursday provided the worlds very first self-propelled enclosed salmon aquaculture vessel in Guangzhou City, south Chinas Guangdong Province.Dubbed Suhai-1, the vessel is a smart overseas aquaculture devices integrating breeding, harvesting and on-board processing of high-value fish species.
It works both as a mobile offshore fish farm and a modern fishery processing plant.Suhai-1 has a displacement of 132,000 tonnes, similar to two medium-sized attack aircraft carrier.
It features 15 aquaculture cabins with a total water volume of 83,000 cubic meters –-- comparable to 33 worldwide basic swimming pools.The vessel is equipped with a central automated feeding system that handles feed storage, transportation, raising, unloading, conveying and circulation, all directed by smart feeding decisions.Unlike conventional fixed net-cage aquaculture in open seas, Suhai-1 can produce while cruising at an optimal speed of 18 kilometers per hour.
This mobility enables it to move quickly to safer waters during negative conditions like typhoons and red tides, significantly enhancing operational security and stability.Since deep-sea salmon prefer colder waters, Suhai-1 will navigate to the cold-water mass in the Yellow Sea as soon as operations start.
This makes sure salmon stay within their ideal growth temperature range of 10-18 degrees Celsius.
In effect, the vessel travels with the fish to favorable environments, returning with full holds of mature salmon.Chinas expanding salmon marketChina has become the fastest-growing salmon consumer market globally in 2023.
In 2024, the salmon industrys market size reached 12.6 billion RMB ($1.76 billion), marking a 21 percent year-on-year growth, according to China Media Group.The market size is anticipated to exceed 260,000 tonnes by 2030, with people born after the 1990s and 2000s forming the core customer demographic.Currently, domestic salmon production in China disappoints need, with output listed below 50,000 tonnes.
Suhai-1 is expected to substantially boost production capability, supplying a steady supply while mitigating threats from market value fluctuations.The shipowner business states Suhai-1 will head to the Yellow Sea to release salmon fry for cultivation this fall and winter.
The very first batch of salmon produced is prepared for to be all set for market sale around next years Dragon Boat Festival.