From Fishing to Aquaculture: Fishermen's New Path to Wealth in Jinxian County, Jiangxi Province

Located on the south bank of Poyang Lake, Jinxian County in Jiangxi Province has been an abundant place since ancient times. More than 10,000 fishermen in Jinxian County made a living on the abundant aquatic products in the beautiful Poyang Lake. To protect the normal growth and reproduction of aquatic organisms and ensure the recovery and sustainability of fisheries resources in Poyang Lake, a ten-year fishing ban was enacted on January 1, 2020. Since then, local fishermen stopped fishing here.

After fishing withdrawal, many fishermen have made full use of their strengths to engage in aquaculture in local areas. Luo Yong, a resident of Aiguo Village, Sanli Township, took the lead in the breeding of finless eels. With the guidance and help of experts from Jiangxi Fisheries Research Institute and Jiangxi Agricultural University, Luo has built 26 greenhouses, with an annual output of more than 100,000 kilograms of finless eel fry.

Inspired by Luo, fishermen who stopped fishing in Sanli Township start to breed finless eels. The local government in Sanli Township has invested over CNY 10 million to upgrade and renovate two 1,000 mu breeding bases for finless eels. Jinxian County Power Supply Branch of State Grid Jiangxi Electric Power Co., Ltd. has worked with the local government of the Sanli Township in time. A total of CNY 5 million renovation funds were invested to secure the power supply for the breeding.

At present, there are over 320 households of fishermen engaging in the breeding of finless eels. The average annual income of farmers in areas around Poyang Lake has increased by CNY 5,000. The land used for breeding has risen from over 5,000 mu in 2019 to more than 20,000 mu in 2022, with an annual output value of nearly CNY 1.1 billion and an annual profit of CNY 430 million. The breeding of finless eels has become a pillar industry, creating wealth for locals. Merchants from other provinces directly purchase finless eels at the breeding sites. (Text by Hu Xiaogang）

Finless eel breeding bases in Sanli Township, Jinxian County [Photo by Hu Xiaogang]

Luo Yong, resident of Aiguo Village, Sanli Township, is feeding finless eels [Photo by Hu Xiaogang]

Jinxian County Power Supply Branch of State Grid Jiangxi Electric Power Co., Ltd. renovates grid system for finless eel breeding bases [Photo by Hu Xiaogang]

Source: State Grid Nanchang Power Supply Company