A new deep-sea aquaculture project is transforming China's salmon farming system, pioneering a shift toward national self-sufficiency. At the forefront of this shift is Qingdao Guoxin Blue Silicon Valley Development Co. Ltd. (Guoxin) in Shandong Province, which made waves this May by announcing the world's first commercial-scale production of salmon aboard a mobile fish-farming vessel, the Guoxin No.1-2-2 (launched in 2025).

Beyond achieving a world first, the company, the innovative vessel and the system it supports have overcome challenges that have, until now, prevented commercial salmon farming in China's marine environments.

Overcoming nature's hurdles 

Norway, the global leader in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) farming and processing, has witnessed China's burgeoning appetite for this popular fish. According to the Norwegian Seafood Council, a public company owned by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Fisheries of Norway, China ascended to become the world's second largest salmon market in the first quarter of 2026, trailing only the United States. Projections indicate that the Chinese salmon market is poised for a year-on-year growth of approximately 30 percent in 2026, set to reach 235,000 tons.

This surging demand is exacerbating China's already low rate of salmon self-sufficiency, which is currently below 30 percent. Data from China's General Administration of Customs reveal that in the first quarter of this year alone, the import volume of Atlantic salmon reached 55,000 tons, a 59-percent increase year on year. In 2025, China imported 161,300 tons of Atlantic salmon, with import value soaring to 10.88 billion yuan ($1.6 billion).

This profound reliance on imports is rooted in China's natural geographical conditions. Atlantic salmon, a cold-water species, thrives in temperatures between 10 and 16 degrees Celsius. The surface water temperatures along China's coastline frequently exceed 25 degrees Celsius during the summer months, making them unsuitable for salmon.

Hu Xin, Chairman of Guoxin, told The Economic Observer newspaper that decades of attempts at nearshore salmon farming up and down China's coast have consistently faltered due to temperature fluctuations. The summer heat can be lethal for cold-water species, and threats such as typhoons, red tides (discoloration of sea water usually caused by the explosive proliferation of certain plankton) and pollution pose additional risks.

The solution? Build mobile deep-water fish-farming vessels that can move with the seasons, expose salmon to deeper, colder water and relocate to avoid typhoons, red tides and pollution. The vision for these "future offshore fish farming factories" was first articulated in the 1970s by pioneering marine fishery experts. However, the nascent industrial infrastructure of that era forced this ambitious concept into dormancy. Over the ensuing half-century, developed nations including Japan, Spain, France and Norway have all undertaken research into deep-sea aquaculture vessels. None have yet managed to achieve commercial-scale operations.

This is the result of a complex interplay of technical challenges, cost considerations and differing resource conditions among nations, Mai Kangsen, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an aquaculture nutrition expert, told The Economic Observer. "For instance, Japan's east coast and Norway's coast offer deep, strong currents but relatively calm seas, making deep-sea (stationary) net cage farming more economical. China's territorial waters, stretching from the Bohai Sea to the South China Sea, span many latitudes, experiencing significant hydrological variations throughout the year. Furthermore, with an average water depth of less than 40 meters and frequent typhoons, deep-sea aquaculture presents a far more challenging environment, necessitating the exploration of novel solutions," Mai said.

Designed with these challenges in mind, the Guoxin No.1-2-2 is equipped with 15 standard aquaculture cabins each holding over 6,000 cubic meters of water, with a total water volume of nearly 100,000 cubic meters. The vessel circulates and replaces water 16 to 18 times daily, continuously drawing in cold seawater from depths of 30 to 50 meters using a China-developed, pioneering deep-sea cold-water intake system. This ensures a constant, optimal temperature in areas where surface temperatures are too warm.

Hu said the Guoxin No.1-2-2 implements a comprehensive health management system for its salmon, with underwater cameras capturing the swimming posture and speed of the fish, which are then analyzed by models to assess their health status. Daily sampling for nutritional testing and a thorough monthly physical examination are conducted, evaluating indicators such as flavor compounds and lipid content.

"Salmon also need to exercise," Hu added. To facilitate this inside the cabins, controlled water currents are generated to create vortices, simulating the salmon's natural habit of swimming against the current. The flow rate is precisely calibrated to the fish's length. If the current is too strong, the fish expend excessive energy; if it's too slow, fat content can become excessively high.

In November 2025, the Guoxin No.1-2-2 welcomed its first batch of Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout fry. The first harvest of these "vessel-based cabin-farmed" fish took place in May. While raising the fish, the vessel undertook a six-month, 6,000-nautical-mile (11,112-km) journey, migrating south from the Bohai Sea to the East China Sea for the winter, and returning north to the Yellow and Bohai seas in early spring.

More than 97 percent of juvenile salmon released into the cabins survived, resulting in a harvest of approximately 12 tons, or around 4 kg per fish. The journey of these salmon from the cabins to the tables of consumers took a mere 24 to 36 hours.

A closed-loop ecosystem 

Alongside deep-sea aquaculture, Guoxin is strengthening its capabilities in both the production of salmon fry and the land-based processing and distribution of finished salmon. In August, the company began work on a land-based facility that will integrate fry cultivation, salmon processing, and research and development within a single park, with a planned total investment of 920 million yuan ($137 million) and an annual production capacity of 5,000 tons of salmon.

Furthermore, to ensure the self-reliance and control of China's domestic Atlantic salmon fry industry, the Salmon and Trout Genetic Breeding Center project, spearheaded by the Qingdao Institute of Blue Seed Industry, commenced construction in Qingdao in May. This 150-million-yuan ($22-million) project will focus on the protection of genetic stock, new variety development, and the cultivation of fry and juvenile fish. The project aims to establish a "self-reliant fry source—controllable cultivation—efficient farming" value chain.

Hu explained the importance of a "land-sea linkage" closed-loop ecosystem. Salmon, as migratory fish, hatch in freshwater and, once reaching a certain size, transition to saltwater for continued growth. The future vision entails land-based facilities responsible for cultivating fry and early-stage rearing, with the aquaculture vessel undertaking the deep-sea cultivation of adult fish.

This integrated approach promises a sustainable and highly controlled production system that will reduce China's dependence on imported salmon and usher in an era of domestic abundance. BR

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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