The first National Aquaculture Mechanization Field Conference was held in Changzhou.
The surge-wave aerator floats on the shimmering water surface like a lifebuoy, while the propeller-type variable-frequency oxygenator creates tiny fountains with its splashing water... This scene, resembling a “water park,” unfolded at the observation site of the first National Aquaculture Mechanization Field Conference. Hosted by the Agricultural Mechanization Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the conference was recently held in Jintan District, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province. Over 200 participants attended, including Wang Jiayun, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Mechanization Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, heads of relevant departments, experts and scholars, and representatives from enterprises. The event attracted nearly 40 companies from across the country, showcasing more than 120 types of aquaculture machinery and equipment—the largest number of participating enterprises and products ever featured at a field conference in recent years.
On that day, attendees visited an intelligent fish farm located in Zhizhen Town, Jintan District. “The core area of the intelligent fish farm covers 6,500 mu and has a total investment of 500 million yuan. It is the core zone for Jintan District’s efforts to establish a National Agricultural Science and Technology Park and a Jiangsu Provincial Agricultural High-tech Zone, and was included in Jiangsu Province’s major projects for 2020,” said Zhang Jinbiao, Deputy Mayor of Zhizhen Town, Jintan District. A range of advanced machinery—including automatic feeders, aerial broadcasting loudspeakers, automatic mowers, automatic oxygenators, automated water intake and drainage systems, and online water-quality monitoring devices—have already been put into use at this fish farm, enabling mechanization and intelligent operation of key stages in river crab farming.
Jintan is known as the “Hometown of Chinese Mitten Crabs,” and river crabs are the district’s first single-product industry to exceed 1.5 billion yuan in output value. However, today, labor shortages and rising labor costs have become major challenges hindering the development of the river crab industry. By taking the lead nationwide in building intelligent fish farms, Jintan District is making a valuable exploration toward accelerating the mechanization of river crab production.
