First salmon harvested onboard Chinese aquaculture vessel

The 150,000-tonne aquaculture vessel “Guoxin No. 1 2-2” has delivered its first batch of salmon to the market, Fish Farming Expert’s Norwegian sister site, Kyst.no, reports.

State-owned Qingdao Guoxin Group said the first batch of Atlantic salmon has been harvested after around six months of onboard production. Some 3,000 fish, with a combined weight of 12 tonnes, have been sent to market.

According to the company, this marks the first time salmon has been commercially produced at large scale on a mobile offshore aquaculture vessel.

99.7% survival rate

The salmon were stocked in the vessel in November last year, shortly after “Guoxin No. 1 2-2” entered operation.

Zhongde Huang, editor of the industry blog Zhi Travelling Deep and media contact for the project, said the first batch of around 25,000 smolts achieved a 99.7% survival rate during onboard stocking.

“The platform builds on experience from sister vessels, where species such as large yellow croaker achieved high survival and faster growth compared to traditional cages,” Huang told Kyst.no.

World's first

He described the project as the world’s first attempt at large-scale mobile salmon and rainbow trout production in a ship-based farming system.

So far, no major biological or technical issues have been reported during the first production phase.

“Guoxin No. 1 2-2” is the third vessel in the Guoxin series of purpose-built aquaculture vessels.

The vessel is 244.9 metres long and has a total farming volume of nearly 100,000 cubic metres distributed across 15 tanks.

Optimal temperatures

The ship has been developed specifically for Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout production in Chinese waters. The concept is for the vessel to move north and south along the coastline to follow optimal temperature conditions throughout the year.

“What makes the vessel unique is its ability to relocate along the coastline to follow the most stable temperature conditions for salmon throughout the year,” said Huang.

The salmon are farmed in water temperatures between 10 and 16 degrees Celsius. Through a dedicated deep-water intake system, seawater from depths of 30 to 50 metres is pumped into the tanks up to 18 times per day.

Qingdao Guoxin Group said the mobile farming concept can reduce risks related to typhoons, harmful algal blooms and other environmental events that can affect traditional farming sites.

Fresh salmon within 36 hours

The vessel is described as a floating aquaculture system with a high level of automation, where thousands of sensors continuously monitor temperature, salinity, oxygen levels and fish behaviour throughout production.

“The high level of automation makes it possible to continuously monitor water quality, oxygen levels and fish behaviour onboard,” said Huang, adding that the mechanisation rate onboard exceeds 90%.

The vessel also includes onboard harvesting, processing and packaging systems. The goal is to deliver fresh salmon to Chinese markets within 24 to 36 hours after harvest.

Intensified investments

Qingdao Guoxin Group also claims the production is carried out without antibiotics or parasites, and that the fish meets Chinese standards for raw consumption products.

Chinese authorities and companies have intensified investments in offshore aquaculture and large mobile farming systems in recent years.

“This is not just about one vessel, but about building an entirely new model for offshore aquaculture in China,” said Huang.

Qingdao Guoxin Group said the company’s three aquaculture vessels now have a combined annual production capacity exceeding 10,000 tonnes of fish.