Aquaculture research on the national scale is centralized in the National Bureau of Aquatic Products, which depends directly on the scientific research institutes of aquatic products (Table 12). The following six institutes (IAP) were operational in May 1980 (Figure 3):
concerned mainly with marine fisheries:
IAP Nan Hai, in Guangzhou (Guangdong)
concerned mainly with inland water fisheries in China:
Table 16
Planning process in one province
A seventh centre, the Technological Research Institute was being set up in Shanghai.
In addition to these institutes, which are national in scope, there are many others, both provincial (e.g., the IAP of the Liaoning province in Lüda) and municipal (e.g., IAP Shanghai), which have considerable autonomy.
Aquaculture research is also carried out in State experimental farms, in the research institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Academia Sinica), in national or provincial universities and in colleges of agricultural fisheries, as well as at production level, in State farms and in some specialized brigades of the people's communes.
Aquaculture research is usually of the applied type, concerned with solving practical problems related to yields. This research policy is consistent with the philosophical slogan which encourages ‘scientific research to serve production’, by combining theory and practice, research and production, intellectual and manual efforts. The merits of academic research are not totally ignored, however, within the context of long-term development.
High priority was recently accorded to the institutes' scientific and technological efforts to help in the realization of an ambitious scheme of ‘four modernizations’ 1 by the year 2000. During visits to research centres, the study group was particularly impressed by the optimism and enthusiasm expressed by many of the staff at the sudden upsurge of official interest and support on the part of the central and regional authorities.
Visits were made to three scientific institutes in Guangzhou (IAP Zhu Jiang), Wuhan/ Hubei (Hydrobiology Research Institute - Academia Sinica) and Shanghai (IAP Shanghai), where the programmes of activities were presented and discussed.
Until the end of 1978, this institute was part of the IAP Nan Hai. It has been independent since January 1979 and its programme of activities is geared to inland waters (Figure 8). Personnel numbers, 210 (58 technicians, 30 administrative, 122 workers). The well-known Professor Zhong Lui, ‘father’ of induced spawning in Chinese carps (1958) is Assistant Director of the institute. The IAP includes the institute itself (subsidized) and three fish production centres (self-financed). The study group was able to visit the institute and the main fish culture centres (20 ha), equipped with 70 ponds (i.e., 14 ha of water). Since it is located in a sub-tropical zone, the temperature of the water allows Chinese carps to be reared 11 months in the year. Average rainfall is 1 600 mm between April and September.
The institute has three major objectives: scientific research, production and training. For this reason, it is equipped with scientific sections, three production centres and one training centre.
1 Modernization of agriculture, industry, national defense and science/technology
At present there are five scientific sections, with research programmes focused on the following subjects:
Two other scientific sections are being set up to deal with fish technology and the prevention of pollution, industrial pollution in particular.
The production centres practise an integrated farming system, producing fish, pigs, milk, rice, vegetables, fruits and green fodder. The system of fish culture used is semi-intensive, based on polyculture. Average output reaches 6–7.5 t/ha of food-fish.
In collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the training centre has been holding courses for Asian countries since 1975. In April 1980, the seventh fish culture course (12 trainees from four countries) was being held. This will bring the total number of Asian technicians from 10 countries trained at this centre to 117. The training programme closely combines theory and practice, as a glance at the breakdown of the 374 h of the course will show: theory 32%, practical 20%, visits 24%, discussions 12%, examinations, revision 6% and other matters/free time 6%. The course, which was initially a six-month one, was gradually reduced to four months and then to three.
Figure 8 A section of the fish culture installations at the Zhu Jiang Institute of Aquatic Products, Guangzhou, Guangdong
This municipal institute which was formerly part of IAP Dong Hai, has been independent since 1978. It employs 139 persons, including 49 researchers and technicians (Figure 1). It is sub-divided into a museum, three research laboratories and two supervisory offices (administration and research).
The museum, which was set up in 1958, has a collection of 1 500 specimens of the 2 500+ known fish species (800+ being freshwater species) in China.
The research laboratories and their programmes of activities are:
This leading scientific institute, which was set up in Shanghai in 1950 and transferred to Wuhan (Hubei) in 1954, currently employs 250 research workers/technicians and 150 administrative officers and fish culture workers (Figures 9 and 10). In addition to a 6.67-ha fish farm, the institute includes the following six research laboratories:
Following the recent decision by the Central Government of China to ‘modernize in four fields’ before the end of the century, the need to have an adequate number of highlevel scientific research workers and technologists and qualified technicians is acknowledged at all administrative levels. Scientific and technical training of this type of staff is considered essential.
The study group did not have an opportunity of visiting the universities of aquatic products, which are under the technical control of the National Bureau of Aquatic Products (Table 12) and are located in Shanghai, Zhanjiang (Guangdong) and Xiamen (Fujian). Studies there last four years and the student can choose from three sections (fish culture, fisheries and processing of aquatic products). Two other sections are now being experimented (boat building and electronics).
Other universities, which are not specialized in aquatic products, have an aquaculture section, e.g., the agricultural and marine universities.
Many technical schools at secondary level also offer specialized training in fisheries and aquaculture.
Figure 9 A section of the fish culture installations at the Hydrobiology Research Institute in Wuhan, Hubei
Figure 10 Briefing by and general discussion with Professor Yan Dashu, Assistant Director of the Hydrobiology Research Institute, Wuhan, Hubei
