International Space Station Gives Glimpse of China’s Aquaculture Sector

A slew of grid-patterned fish farms line the coast of Liaoning Province in northeast China, as shown in this photograph taken by

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Aquaculture in China’s Liaoning Province
an astronaut aboard the International Space Station. The aquaculture operations have been built out from the highly agricultural coast to a distance of roughly 4 miles. Liaoning Province ranks sixth in China in terms of aquaculture production, and this group of fish farms, which face the Yellow Sea, is the largest set constructed along the province’s coastline. The fish farm basins are built on shallow seabeds, mudflats, and bays. Outer barriers protect the basins from winter storms and large waves generated by passing ships. Most aquaculture products are purchased live in China, with less than 5 percent being killed and processed for selling in local or foreign markets, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), says. Shellfish, a traditional marine food source, still dominates China’s marine production, according to the FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, accounting for 77 percent of the market.