February 14, 2007

Aquaculture grows in the dry regions of China's Xinjiang

As recently as a decade ago, there were no records of any fish species in Xinjiang's Sailimu Lake, but now, the province has become China's largest production base for coldwater fish.

According to statistics from China's aquaculture department, Xinjiang's aquaculture production reached 85,000 tonnes in 2006, the highest among the five north-western provinces in China.

Xinjiang is China's driest inland province. In the past, most seafood consumed was imported from the coastal regions. Some residents in far-flung corners of the province have never even eaten fish in their lives. Now, not only did aquaculture production enable the province to be self-sufficient in seafood, it also enabled the province to export seafood to other provinces.      

In fact, the province even exported nearly a thousand tonnes of seafood to aquaculture powerhouses like Finland last year.