Aquaculture in China: two decades of rapid growth

摘要

China has a long history in aquaculture. Freshwater fish culture has a record history of over 3100 years. Mariculture of certain molluscs also dates back to over 1700 - 2000 years ago. Traditional aquaculture is practiced by individual families, based on experience accumulated over the generations. It is primitive in technology and relatively low m yield by today's standards. The long aquaculture history in China has lead to the formation of a culture where aquaculture is a normal part of subsistence, and fish and seafood are accepted by all. Fish and seafood has a prominent position in Chinese cuisine, and fish is always featured as the last course in traditional banquets. When Chinese families host a dinner for special occasions and guests, fishand seafood must be on the dinner table regardless the price. Modern aquaculture started in the early 1950s as a result of technological advances and organized promotions by the government. Food production has been a challenge for China because of its huge population and limited land resources per capita. China has been resolutely promoting the utilization of aquatic resources for food production. Several traditional capture fisheries declined due to over fishing during the 1970s and 80s, and this hasled to the recognition of aquaculture as the point of growth in aquatic food production. The Chinese aquaculture industry has been growing steadily between the 1950s and late 1970s (Figure 1). Major advances in hatchery production technology were made during that period. Because of social and economic reasons, technical advances did not lead to rapid increases in production. Aquaculture production increased by only 2-fold in the 24-year period between 1954 and 1978.