36 MARCH 2018 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG 1992. Currently, the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and swimming crab Portunus trituberculatu are the main crustacean species used in extensive pond farming. In late 1990s, Japanese flounder became the pioneer marine fish species for indoor farming using simple flowthrough technology. The production of this species has declined since 2005 due to disease outbreaks (fish ascites syndrome and lymphocystic disease) and reduced market price. The failure of aquaculture activities in Bohai Bay represents a warning to farmers to select suitable species with better culture technology and lower production cost. Characteristics of Marine Fish Culture in the Bohai Bay Area The development and expansion of marine aquaculture in Bohai Bay is challenged by the limited availability of coastal land and suitable water resources, effluent concerns, high production costs and a restricted growing season. The seawater in Bohai Bay has high turbidity from a large intertidal area with a shallow depth and clay substrate, a wide temperature fluctuation ranging from -10 to 38 C (Fig. 2), and high pollution levels from intensive industrial waste and domestic sewage discharges and a low seawater exchange A Brief History of Aquaculture in the Bohai Bay Area Bohai Bay is located in northern China and is surrounded by the Liaodong and Shandong peninsulas that extend eastward to the Bohai Sea (Fig. 1). As the largest and most concentrated area of industrial development in China, it serves as the base of the chemical industry and as a major port. It is also a densely populated region, with 250 million people living along the coast of the bay. Before the 1980s, the Bohai Sea was an important fishing ground for native species such as Chinese white shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis, swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus, half-smooth tongue sole Cynoglossus semilaevis, small yellow croaker Larimichthys polyactis and Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. The capture fishery has gradually declined since the 1980s as a result of overfishing and environmental pollution. Thus, there is a need for farm-raised seafood that can only be met through expansion of aquaculture. Marine aquaculture in the Bohai Bay area started in the early 1980s, stimulated by declines in capture fisheries and the growing aquaculture industry elsewhere in China. Chinese white shrimp was the first crustacean species extensively cultured in the flat coastal zone, although the industry suffered heavy losses from WSSV in A Simple Recirculating Aquaculture System for Marine Fish Growout in the Bohai Bay Area of China Naihong Xin, Shusen Zhang, Yonghai Yang, Liying Sui, Kezhi Xing and Patrick Sorgeloos FIGURE 1. Location of Bohai Bay in China. FIGURE 2. Mean monthly air temperature range in Tianjin, China (2000-2015). FIGURE 3. A live fish aquarium in a local restaurant.
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