Photo shows a green aquaculture demonstration park in Helan county, Yinchuan city, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Photo/Li Shaobo)
Though located in the Yellow River irrigation area, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region once faced serious challenges from secondary soil salinization.
In recent years, the local government has turned this problem into an opportunity. By using aquaculture as a means to improve saline-alkali land, Ningxia has brought seafood like giant tiger prawn, perch, and the large yellow croaker to dinner tables, helping local farmers increase their incomes.
"10 years ago, I invited technicians from Zhangzhou in southeast China’s Fujian Province and introduced whiteleg shrimps to Ningxia," said Qiang Zuozhou, head of Ningxia Lanwan Eco-Agriculture Co., Ltd., located in Helan county, Yinchuan city of Ningxia. Back then, many people didn’t believe seafood could be farmed on saline-alkali land, said Qiang.
After extensive experimentation, the team discovered that the key difference between seawater and saline-alkaline water lied in salinity and major ions. By gradually adjusting the water’s salinity, they were able to help whiteleg shrimps adapt to local conditions. Even more impressive, whiteleg shrimp farming broke free from seasonal limitations and now operates year-round.
A worker works at a fish farm in Helan county, Yinchuan city, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Photo/Zhang Jingwen)
Helan county’s success in aquaculture is clear from the numbers. With 58,000 mu (about 3,867 hectares) of aquaculture ponds, the county produces 65,000 tonnes of aquatic products. Yields average over 1,120 kilograms per mu, making Helan the top aquaculture producer in northwest China.
Ningxia has emerged as a regional leader in aquaculture, thanks to its strong focus on sci-tech innovation. In May this year, the Freshwater Fisheries Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences set up a base for the transformation of sci-tech achievements at Yinchuan Kehai Biotechnology Co., Ltd. in Helan county.
Shi Wei, general manager of Yinchuan Kehai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., noted that in recent years, the company has trialed new species, including giant freshwater prawn, freshwater shrimp, river crab, perch, and the rainbow trout, with encouraging initial results.
In recent years, Helan county has partnered with institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences and Shanghai Ocean University to strengthen collaboration between industry, academia, and research. These partnerships have helped build platforms for the transformation of sci-tech achievements. At the same time, the county has steadily increased its investment in aquaculture research and development.
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0627/c98649-20333550.html