Qingdao Daily/Guanhai News, January 19, 2019 The construction of a marine ranch is an important exploration to transform the development mode of marine fisheries, and it is also an important measure to promote the development of the marine economy and the construction of marine ecological civilization. In the list of the seventh batch of national marine ranch demonstration areas released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, a total of 2 marine ranches in Qingdao have been approved, both in Qingdao West Coast New Area. At present, the total number of national marine ranching demonstration areas in the new area has reached 14, accounting for nearly 10% of the total volume of 153 demonstration areas in the country; the total area has reached 6630 hectares, becoming the largest national marine ranch demonstration area cluster in the country.
In layman's terms, a marine ranch is an artificial fish farm set up in a specific sea area for the planned cultivation and management of fishery resources. At present, marine ranches are usually considered to be additional farms built through measures such as large-scale reefing to improve the ecological environment of fisheries and improve the carrying capacity of fish catches in the sea area. Focusing on the comprehensive benefits of marine ranches, the mainland issued the "National Marine Ranch Demonstration Zone Construction Plan (2017-2025)" five years ago to promote the overall construction of marine ranches through demonstration.
As a state-level new area with the theme of marine economic development, the West Coast New Area is at the forefront of exploration in the construction of marine ranches. Since the 1980s, the new district has begun to carry out artificial reef experiments by dropping stones around Lingshan Island, and in 2009, it began to build a large-scale marine ranch. In recent years, the west coast adheres to the combination of planning guidance, policy support, demonstration and scientific and technological support, and encourages leading enterprises with strength to participate in the construction of marine ranches, and has built 23 marine ranches with a total area of 7600 hectares, including 14 national marine ranch demonstration areas with a total sea area of 6630 hectares, forming a marine ranch group in the sea area along Qingdao Zhucha Island - Lingshan Bay - Jaitang Island.
It is reported that the two demonstration areas approved by the West Coast New Area are the Qingdao Lingshan Bay Sea Aquatic Products Supply and Marketing National Marine Ranch Demonstration Zone and the Qingdao Zhaitang Island Sea Jingwu National Marine Ranch Demonstration Zone, with a sea area of 420 hectares and 305 hectares, which are managed and maintained by Jiaonan Aquatic Products Supply and Marketing Company and Qingdao Jingwu Aquaculture Co., Ltd. respectively. "The creation of a national marine ranching demonstration area has a consideration for the seabed topography and regional carrying capacity, and it is necessary to have a certain sea area and reef body on the basis of conforming to the plan, and have technical support for cooperation with relevant scientific research units." Liu Yuangang, senior engineer of the Marine Development Bureau of Qingdao West Coast New Area, said that the approved demonstration area can not only carry out marine ecological restoration, but also provide high-grade aquatic products supply, expand the fishery industry chain, and promote the development of recreational fisheries.
Thanks to the excellent natural conditions, the sea area of Lingshan Bay has become one of the most concentrated areas of the national marine ranching demonstration area, and there are currently 6 national marine ranch demonstration areas for the supply and marketing of aquatic products approved this time. Not long ago, the Judayang National Marine Ranch Demonstration Zone approved in 2019 ushered in new progress - the offshore multi-functional platform was put into use. The platform is a pipe frame floating structure, with a total length of 30.3 meters, a width of 22 meters, a deck area of 666.6 square meters, equipped with shaded pavilions, leisure seats, environmentally friendly toilets, storage rooms and other supporting facilities, and equipped with recreational fishing cages. The demonstration area plans to build a set of marine ranch intelligent observation network system, a multi-functional platform for marine ranching and a comprehensive onshore experience center, and after the multi-functional platform is put into use, it can provide a full range of production management, ecological monitoring, safety rescue, energy supply and maritime care services for seabed artificial reefs and marine three-dimensional aquaculture.
"The construction of the marine ranch is a long-term process, and the investment is not cheap. For example, just for the reef project, a concrete empty cube with a length and width of 2 meters needs two or three thousand yuan, while the amount of reef thrown in a demonstration area generally reaches more than 30,000 empty cubic meters. Liu Yuangang introduced that marine ranches pay more attention to ecological benefits and social benefits. According to the survey and assessment, the amount of aquatic biological resources in the artificial reef area increased by 5.3 times compared with before the reef was launched, and the basic productivity increased by 64%. The resources of marine life, algae and shellfish have increased significantly, which has played a positive role in restoring the marine ecological environment.
The construction of marine ranches has a prominent role in accelerating the restructuring of fisheries and can promote the rapid development of recreational fisheries. It is reported that Lu Haifeng Marine Ranch is the earliest, largest and most complete marine ranch built in the West Coast New Area, and has become a national marine ranch demonstration area and a national recreational fishery demonstration base integrating marine aquaculture, recreational sea fishing services and tourism reception. At the same time, nearly 100 people are directly resettled to engage in aquaculture and sea fishing services, plus 300 employees in tourism reception.
Taking the construction of marine ranches as an advanced model for the green ecological development of marine fisheries, in 2019, the new district issued the "Qingdao West Coast New Area Marine Ranch Construction Plan (2019-2025)", which will give full play to the demonstration and driving role of marine ranches in marine fisheries and accelerate the transformation and upgrading of marine fisheries. The goal set at the time of the plan was that by 2025, the number of national marine ranching demonstration areas would reach 13-15, and the output value of marine ranches would exceed 1.4 billion yuan, and the target of the number of demonstration areas had been achieved. At present, the new district is upgrading and transforming the original fishing port, further improving the facilities, combining the marine ranch land experience center with the fishing port leisure experience, further improving the comprehensive service capabilities of the fishing port and the marine ranch, and promoting the upgrading and development of the marine ranch. (Qingdao Daily/Guanhai News Reporter Wang Kai)
(Author: Wang Kai)