In a laboratory at the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, there is an instrument called a "hydrostatic pressure machine." This seemingly ordinary instrument is actually far from simple: it not only plays a major role in fish fry breeding, but is also difficult to manufacture. Previously, only one company in the world, based in Japan, produced it.

However, this hydrostatic pressure machine at the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute was not imported from Japan, but produced by a Qingdao company called Haixing Instrument. Speaking about the development of the hydrostatic pressure machine, Zhang Yuefeng, general manager of Qingdao Haixing Instrument Co., Ltd., was full of pride.

Zhang Yuefeng told the reporter from Economic Daily that in April 2011, the flatfish system research group at the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences wanted someone to produce a hydrostatic pressure machine according to their requirements for research on fish gynogenesis and polyploid breeding. At that time, Haixing Instrument, which had gained some reputation in fish biometric identification products, was fortunate enough to be selected. Zhang Yuefeng was very happy to be able to produce scientific research equipment for a top domestic research institute, but also felt great pressure.

Zhang Yuefeng said that at the time, a Japanese company produced similar products, but they were "unsuited to local conditions." "The hydrostatic pressure machine is mainly used in fish ponds or aquaculture ponds during the fish spawning season. Japanese products were acceptable in freshwater aquaculture, but in seawater aquaculture they were very inconvenient to use. Domestic users urgently hoped that a Chinese company could produce similar products," Zhang Yuefeng said.

Pressure followed. With weak research and development strength and insufficient mechanical processing experience, could they take on such a heavy responsibility? Zhang Yuefeng asked himself more than once. "This is a big cake. No matter what, no matter how difficult, we must take it on." He made up his mind.

Zhang Yuefeng said that at present, China's offshore fisheries are frequently in crisis, and vigorously developing the aquaculture industry is imperative. Polyploid breeding technology is favored because it has notable effects in increasing fish yields, accelerating the growth rate of fry, controlling overbreeding, and protecting fish germplasm resources. "In polyploid breeding technology, the hydrostatic pressure method is widely used because it has a relatively high induction rate, reaching more than 90%; a short treatment time, generally 3 to 5 minutes; little damage to fertilized eggs and a high survival rate; and simple technical operating procedures, conditions that are easy to optimize and master, and treatment procedures that are easy to standardize."

In the Qingdao technology market, Zhang Yuefeng's determination quickly received a response. Qingdao Liancheng Innovation Technology Development Service Co., Ltd. soon came calling. "We standardized and broke down the technical difficulties Haixing Instrument encountered during development, and found that the main problems Haixing needed to solve were three aspects: the pressure resistance of the piston seal ring, the pressure resistance and backflow problem of the one-way valve, and the volume and sealing problem of the pressure chamber," said Zhong Huiqun, general manager of Liancheng Innovation. "In response to these problems, we integrated our own resource advantages to help Haixing defeat them one by one." It is understood that technical personnel from Liancheng Innovation took on the research and development of the pressure resistance of the piston seal ring, and cooperated with a machinery processing factory in Qingdao to solve the pressure resistance and backflow problem of the one-way valve and the volume and sealing problem of the pressure chamber.

Recalling the scene during the initial development, Zhang Yuefeng was filled with emotion: "During the more than 6 months at the processing factory, it really could be called torment. I was soaked in the factory every day, often waking from dreams at night, and the first thing after waking was research and development..." Hard work pays off. In October of that year, the first hydrostatic pressure machine rolled off the production line, and Haixing Instrument Co. was formally established because of this.

In the more than 4 years from 2011 to now, the performance of the hydrostatic pressure machine has been continuously improved, and 36 units have been sold so far. "Our users include the flatfish system team of the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Tsinghua University, Sun Yat-sen University, as well as Huazhong Agricultural University and Hunan University of Science and Technology," Zhang Yuefeng said. Haixing Instrument's turnover also grew from 1.3 million yuan in 2012 to about 3.1 million yuan in 2014.

Now, on the basis of the hydrostatic pressure machine, a deep-sea pressure simulator has been developed. "Although we have not yet made a relatively larger pressure chamber, we are providing similar application solutions for several domestic enterprises," Zhang Yuefeng admitted. "With several years of experience, we are even more firm in our confidence to move forward in the marine and fisheries fields."

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