Aquaculture is gradually becoming a scenic feature in Longnan, and the development of specialty fisheries is in full swing
Longnan: Aquaculture is gradually becoming a scenic feature
In the mountainous area of Longnan southwest of the Qinling Mountains, there are four rivers with considerable flow - the Bailong River, Baishui River, Jialing River and Western Han River - along with over a thousand tributaries and a dense water network. These are freshwater sources of the middle Yangtze River and are suitable for aquaculture. In recent years, the number of farmers engaged in aquaculture has grown rapidly, and technology, output and quality have improved year by year. Aquaculture has gradually become a good industry for escaping poverty and achieving prosperity.
Aquaculture in Longnan is mainly focused on giant salamanders, soft-shelled turtles, loaches, crayfish, sturgeons, catfish and grass carp, with farmers favoring the farming of high-priced fish such as giant salamanders and soft-shelled turtles.
In Kang County, the water surface area for giant salamander farming reaches 200 mu, with over 183,000 fish in ponds and more than 350,000 juvenile salamanders hatched annually. Wen County has vigorously developed cage farming in the Bikou and Miaojiaba reservoir areas as well as pond farming in gullies and streams, and aquaculture has become a highlight for increasing the income of farming households in the reservoir area. This year, 1.8 million fry were stocked, 2.2 million eggs were collected artificially, 1.9 million large-size fry were cultivated, over 1,000 breeding salamanders were stocked, and fish disease prevention and treatment was carried out 5 times covering 250,000 fish. The county has built a total of 1,887 cages and 450 mu of ponds; it has processed 13 special giant salamander farming certificates, 1 national-level business utilization license, 4 provincial-level business utilization licenses, and 9 certified farming operations, involving more than 30 farming households engaged in giant salamander farming, with over 50,000 giant salamanders kept in ponds. In the first half of this year, total fresh fish output reached 460 tons, with an output value of 14.72 million yuan. The Maoshui River in Li County is a tributary of the upper reaches of the Western Han River in the Yangtze River basin, with 1,930 mu of fish-farming water surface, including 1,500 mu at Honghe Reservoir; there are 10 pond fish-farming households with farming areas of 20 mu or more, covering 430 mu. Honghe Reservoir adopts artificial farming methods and has also installed 480 sq m of cages. Investment in fish farming over the past two years has reached more than 2 million yuan.
Pond fish farming in Longnan generally uses pelleted feed, is equipped with aerators and other fish-farming machinery and equipment, and is managed according to scientific feeding methods. Economic benefits have grown steadily, farmers' enthusiasm has remained stable, and aquaculture has shown a healthy and sound development trend, becoming a major highlight of modern fisheries in the western region.
Yang Minghua from Tanchang runs a company specializing in sturgeon farming. The company already has 16 specialized sturgeon farming ponds, registered capital of 3.97 million yuan, fixed assets of 4.93 million yuan, and is expected to achieve an annual output value of 2.7 million yuan. In the early days of starting her business, through the help of the “Happy Project of the Action to Assist Impoverished Mothers,” Yang Minghua invited professionals to conduct an on-site survey in Sixia Village, Shawan Town. After testing the water quality, it was confirmed that farming Chinese sturgeon here had unique resource advantages. She obtained 15 mu of riverside wasteland in the village and entered into technical cooperation with the Zhang County Chinese Sturgeon Farming Association, beginning artificial sturgeon farming in Sixia Village. With the help of the Tanchang County Population and Family Planning Commission and other departments, Yang Minghua applied for 500,000 yuan in central government funds and obtained 2.5 million yuan in women's entrepreneurship loans. In order to lead more women from impoverished families onto the path of entrepreneurship and prosperity, she established the Tanchang County Qingyang Temple Sturgeon Farming Farmers' Professional Cooperative. Beside Qingyang Temple, 16 fish ponds with a total area of 1,584 sq m were built, and pipelines connecting to underground mountain spring water were installed, ensuring high-quality water for sturgeon farming. The cooperative built 12 farming buildings totaling 180 sq m, hired 6 local women from impoverished families, and introduced 8,000 Chinese hybrid sturgeons certified by the Ministry of Agriculture for pollution-free large-scale scientific farming, which has already succeeded. Jiang Yongzhong, a disabled man from Wudu District, farms giant salamanders in Yuhe and uses part of his profits for charitable causes. He initiated the formation of the Longnan Volunteer Alliance, becoming a model in this industry of actively giving back to society. [Longnan Municipal Party Committee Reporting Group]