China’s first deep-sea fish farming facility, the 35m tall Shenlan 1, in the Yellow Sea was launched in May. Now it’s nearly ready for harvest.
China’s first batch of farmed salmon will hit the market ahead of Chinese Lunar New Year, in February, said the operator of “Shenlan 1,” the world’s largest fully-submersible fish cage according to xinhuanet.
The move marked the start of the country’s attempts to achieve large-scale fish farming in the open seas.
The steel construction is China’s first self-developed and world’s biggest fully-submerged net cage. It can cultivate 300,000 salmon during a growth circle, and is expected to meet an annual output of 1,500 tons.
The mega fish farm is located 130 sea miles east of Rizhao City in eastern China’s Shandong Province, in the cool cold waters of the Yellow Sea.
It was built by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group CO, a subsidiary of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, is 35 meters tall, which is roughly as tall as an 11-story building. It measures 180 meters in width.
The facility can dive between four to 50 meters, to be adjusted according to the water temperature.
Fry were released into the cage in July but have survived the warm summer, according to the Rizhao Wanzefeng Fishing Co.
The first harvest can be expected at the beginning of the next year.
