{"id":152936,"date":"2025-07-02T20:30:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T20:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/china-has-transformed-salmon-breeding-in-open-waters-into-an-engineering-marvel-the-latest-generation-of-ships-exemplifies-this-achievement\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T20:30:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T20:30:12","slug":"china-has-transformed-salmon-breeding-in-open-waters-into-an-engineering-marvel-the-latest-generation-of-ships-exemplifies-this-achievement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/china-has-transformed-salmon-breeding-in-open-waters-into-an-engineering-marvel-the-latest-generation-of-ships-exemplifies-this-achievement\/","title":{"rendered":"China has transformed salmon breeding in open waters into an engineering marvel. The latest generation of ships exemplifies this achievement."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Half of the \u00a0fish\u00a0 we eat is no longer caught in the open sea. Instead, it is raised in controlled facilities, often miles away from the coast. This practice is known as \u00a0aquaculture\u00a0, an industry that is rapidly expanding and now produces more \u00a0fish for human consumption\u00a0 than traditional fishing, as highlighted by \u00a0FAO data\u00a0.<\/p>\n

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Spain is a leader in this sector within the European Union, boasting over \u00a05,000 aquaculture centers\u00a0 with a vast range of species\u2014from rainbow trout to Galician mussels. However, the industry’s most ambitious developments may not be on land or near the coast.<\/p>\n

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Recently, the state agency CGTN reported that China has launched the \u00a0world’s first smart aquaculture ship\u00a0. This innovative vessel is capable of sailing, breeding, and processing salmon without needing to return to port.<\/p>\n

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A Floating Mega-Structure That Reproduces the Complete Cycle of a Fish Farm<\/h2>\n

The \u00a0Suhai-1\u00a0 is the first smart and self-sufficient aquaculture ship globally. Its construction marks a significant milestone in the salmon breeding industry at sea.<\/p>\n

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Measuring nearly \u00a0250 meters\u00a0 and displacing \u00a0132,000 tons\u00a0, the vessel contains \u00a015 breeding compartments\u00a0 that can hold an amount of water equivalent to \u00a033 Olympic swimming pools\u00a0. \u00a0Everything on this ship is automated\u00a0: from the feeding mechanisms to oxygen control, natural light simulation, and waste management. This groundbreaking project was built by the \u00a0CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding company\u00a0.<\/p>\n

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What sets Suhai-1 apart is its ability to navigate. Unlike traditional sea farms, which are typically anchored to coastal areas or fixed structures offshore, this ship can move to areas with the most favorable conditions for salmon growth, such as the cold waters of the \u00a0Yellow Sea\u00a0.<\/p>\n

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According to details from \u00a0Sina\u00a0, the Suhai-1 does not require a permanent anchorage. It can travel at a \u00a0maximum speed of 18 km\/h\u00a0, covering hundreds of kilometers if environmental conditions demand it.<\/p>\n

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In the event of storms, red tides, or other adverse phenomena, the ship can swiftly relocate to safer waters. It has an impressive autonomy of \u00a020,000 nautical miles\u00a0 and can operate independently for up to \u00a090 days\u00a0.<\/p>\n

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\"Suhai
\n Interior of the Suhai-1<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Its initial mission will take it to the cold waters of the Yellow Sea, where temperatures range between \u00a010 and 18 degrees\u00a0\u2014the ideal conditions for salmon development. The objective is to maintain the fish in optimal environments from their juvenile stages until they reach maturity.<\/p>\n

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Once the fish are ready, there will be no need to bring them ashore for processing. The ship features on-board processing systems that enable it to fillet, package, and preserve the fish, making it ready for landing and distribution. According to the operators, the product can reach Chinese markets in less than \u00a024 hours\u00a0 after harvest.<\/p>\n

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To ensure a controlled environment, the Suhai-1 incorporates intelligent systems that \u00a0regulate five critical factors\u00a0: water, oxygen, food, lighting, and waste management. Real-time monitoring and coordination occur from a centralized control center on the ship.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Suhai
\n \"Suhai
\n Interior of the Suhai-1<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The automated feeding system manages storage, transport, dispensing, and distribution of feed, guided by algorithms that adjust quantities based on fish growth. Additionally, water renewal is accomplished through a system that exchanges water inside the ship with fresh marine water, adapting pressure and flow rate as needed.<\/p>\n

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Furthermore, the ship is equipped with environmental sensors, underwater surveillance cameras, filtering systems, and an \u00a0Industrial Processing Plant\u00a0 that operates in two modes: rapid cooling and freezing. Under optimal conditions, fish can be delivered to port and marketed within hours.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Salmon\"
\n \"Salmon\"\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The launch of Suhai-1 is not merely a technological advancement but a response to rising domestic demand. \u00a0China\u00a0 has emerged as the fastest-growing salmon consumer market globally. In 2024, salmon consumption reached approximately \u00a0$1.76 billion\u00a0, marking a \u00a021% increase\u00a0 compared to the previous year.<\/p>\n

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However, national production currently falls short of this demand. Land-based fish farms produce fewer than \u00a050,000 tons annually\u00a0, while imports remain high. Suhai-1 aims to reduce this dependency. The plan is to release the first fry this fall and harvest its initial yield by the Dragon Boat Festival next year.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

China has long relied on large-scale engineering projects to project its power. Previous endeavors include the \u00a0Three Gorges Dam\u00a0 and the most extensive high-speed train network globally. Similarly, Suhai-1 embodies this ambition, breaking through technological and operational boundaries.<\/p>\n

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\n \"The\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In Europe, the history of aquaculture spans centuries. The Romans are known to have cultivated fish in artificial ponds. Spain adopted these practices early on, establishing a thriving aquaculture culture that persists today, from \u00a0Galician mussels\u00a0 to southern estuaries for \u00a0sea bass\u00a0 and \u00a0gilt-head bream\u00a0.<\/p>\n

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Images | Jiangsu LianShen Marine Technology | Caroline Attwood<\/a><\/p>\n


\n
General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Half of the \u00a0fish\u00a0 we eat is no longer caught in the open sea. Instead, it is raised in controlled facilities, often miles away from the coast. This practice is known as \u00a0aquaculture\u00a0, an industry that is rapidly expanding and now produces more \u00a0fish for human consumption\u00a0 than traditional fishing, as highlighted by \u00a0FAO data\u00a0. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":152937,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36399],"tags":[2989,3505,2397,3720,38001,1277,82,26087,1614,710,1403,13565,567],"class_list":["post-152936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-achievement","tag-breeding","tag-china","tag-engineering","tag-exemplifies","tag-generation","tag-latest","tag-marvel","tag-open","tag-salmon","tag-ships","tag-transformed","tag-waters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152936"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152936\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}