30 Tonnes a Day to Hong Kong: How Ningde’s Blue Innovation-Driven Productivity Keeps Yellow Croaker Industry Fresh and Green

The Hong Kong media delegation visited the Baijiwan Fish Farming Rafts at Sandu'ao Bay in Ningde on the afternoon of August 6 to tour an integrated “wind-solar-storage-charging-utilization” demonstration project at sea. They also visited a local large yellow croaker farming base to trace the journey of this “national fish” from Ningde’s waters to Hong Kong’s dining tables.

The Baijiwan Fish Farming Rafts at Sandu'ao Bay, Photo by Bastille Post

Sandu'ao Bay, located in southeastern Ningde, is a renowned world-class deep-water harbour. Stretching across the azure waters, rows of fish farming rafts form a vast aquaculture landscape. The large yellow croaker cultivated in these waters are transported daily to Hong Kong and served on the tables of residents.  Beyond developing its lithium battery new energy industry, Ningde is also making full use of its abundant marine resources to advance integrated offshore wind power and smart marine ranching projects, representing the development direction of Fujian Province's blue new quality productivity.

The Baijiwan Fish Farming Rafts at Sandu'ao Bay, Photo by Bastille Post

Upon arriving by boat at Baijiwan Sea Area, the delegation was greeted by vast stretches of fish farming rafts, where countless large yellow croakers are raised. With their golden bodies, orange-red lips, and white, tender flesh, these fish are rich in nutrients and widely known as the “national fish.”

Large yellow croakers, Photo by Bastille Post

You Weide, Chairman of Fujian Sanduao Foods Co., Ltd., noted that Guanjingyang Sea Area in Ningde is the original spawning ground for traditional wild large yellow croaker. Every March, parent fish migrate there to spawn, and the fry leave after the Dragon Boat Festival. Guanjingyang Sea Area boasts unique natural conditions — a natural harbour with moderate currents, seawater temperatures stable between 12 and 20 degrees Celsius, and a large influx of freshwater from the eastern Fujian mountains that maintains a balanced salinity, conditions that cannot be replicated in either northern or southern production areas. However, due to overfishing, wild large yellow croakers were once nearly extinct. Through the joint efforts of local government departments, research institutions, private enterprises, and aquaculture farmers, artificial breeding was finally achieved. Today, more than eight out of every ten large yellow croakers consumed globally come from Ningde, and the seedling breeding technology and seedlings used across China originate here, building a complete industrial chain through technical exchanges.

You Weide, Chairman of Fujian Sanduao Foods Co., Ltd., Photo by Bastille Post

You Weide added that large yellow croakers are naturally averse to bright light. Traditionally, they were covered with burlap sacks after being caught. Artificially farmed large yellow croakers are harvested between 8 and 9 pm. The light-avoidance process helps the fish develop a golden-yellow colour, a unique characteristic of Ningde large yellow croaker. Today, Sandu'ao Bay has formed a complete vertical industrial chain, covering seedling cultivation, aquaculture, processing, cold chain logistics, and domestic and international sales, with an annual output value exceeding RMB 20 billion. For local fishermen, You Weide noted, the large yellow croaker industry brings a chain reaction of “one industry driving hundreds of industries.”

Large yellow croakers, Photo by Bastille Post

Regarding supply to Hong Kong, You Weide stated that 100% of the frozen large yellow croaker in the Hong Kong market comes from Ningde, with a daily supply of approximately 30 tonnes. The mainstream sizes of frozen fish in Hong Kong supermarkets are four, six, and eight taels; there are almost no large-sized products weighing two or three catties. Fishermen harvest their catch at sea between 8 and 9 pm, deliver it to the factory for processing at 11 pm, and then load it onto trucks at 3 or 4 am for direct shipment to Shenzhen. It arrives in Hong Kong the same morning, transported entirely by land, without the need for transshipment by plane or ship.

The Baijiwan Fish Farming Rafts at Sandu'ao Bay, Photo by Bastille Post

The Baijiwan Fish Farming Rafts at Sandu'ao Bay, Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation also inspected the integrated “wind-solar-storage-charging-utilization” demonstration project at sea. On the floating platform, wind turbines, solar photovoltaic panels, energy storage equipment, charging piles, and energy consumption monitoring systems operate smoothly, constructing a self-sufficient clean energy microgrid.

The integrated “wind-solar-storage-charging-utilization” demonstration project, Photo by Bastille Post

Yang Yun, the person in charge of the integrated “wind-solar-storage-charging-utilization” demonstration project at Sandu'ao Bay, explained that the project's name itself contains several core elements: wind, solar, storage, charging, and utilization. “Wind” refers to wind power generation; “solar” refers to the first application of floating photovoltaic power in a marine environment nationwide; “storage” refers to an energy storage device developed in collaboration with Fujian Contemporary Nebula Energy Technology Co., Ltd with an output power of approximately 100 kilowatts and the capacity to store 200 kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the Fish Farming Rafts at Sandu'ao Bay even during ten to fifteen days of continuous typhoons and rain; “charging” refers to charging piles for electric vessels; and “utilization” refers to all the electrical loads on the fish farming rafts. In the later stages of the project, they discovered that in addition to electricity difficulties, water was also a major problem for the fishermen. Therefore, they collaborated with Nanjing University to develop a seawater desalination device installed on the roofs of the fish-farming rafts that can produce 100 litres of fresh water per day with sufficient sunlight.

Yang Yun, the person in charge of the integrated “wind-solar-storage-charging-utilization” demonstration project at Sandu'ao Bay, Photo by Bastille Post

Yang Yun pointed out that the installed photovoltaic capacity is 58.88 kilowatts, which can produce 70,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, averaging about 200 kilowatt-hours per day, exactly matching the capacity of the energy storage device.

Floating photovoltaic panels, Photo by Bastille Post

Yang Yun recalled that the project's preliminary investigations revealed that fishermen previously relied on three main methods of electricity generation, none of which were environmentally friendly or without safety hazards: First, fish farming rafts near the shore often illegally strung cables, which, when submerged in seawater for extended periods, were prone to corrosion and posed a risk of electric shock. Second, diesel generators were noisy and posed a risk of oil spills and marine pollution. Third, fishermen purchased photovoltaic panels and lead-acid batteries online, but these batteries were bulky, heavy, had limited energy storage, and many were discarded batteries; due to high transportation costs, fishermen often simply dumped them into the sea, causing serious marine pollution. Yang Yun explained that the State Grid Corporation of China launched the integrated “wind-solar-storage-charging-utilization” demonstration project precisely to address these issues, employing lithium iron phosphate batteries for energy storage to ensure a green and environmentally friendly solution.

Floating photovoltaic panels, Photo by Bastille Post

Yang Yun expressed his hope that as CATL’s technology advances and energy storage prices decline, it will better benefit fishermen and enable widespread adoption.

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — When U.S. President Donald Trump said he wanted a “piece of ice, cold and poorly located,” the people of Iceland had every reason to worry even if he was referring to Greenland.

Their concern wasn't only that the object of Trump's desire was their nearest big neighbor, but that he repeatedly called it Iceland — four times.

That gaffe, as Trump continued to press for control of Greenland earlier this year, could help push the fiercely independent Iceland and its 400,000 people closer to Europe as voters decide Saturday whether to restart talks to join the European Union.

“We can’t really trust the U.S. anymore,” said Hildur Knútsdóttir, a horror fiction writer who plans to vote in favor of EU membership. “Trump was not joking about Greenland. There was a lot of fear here in Iceland, because if he takes Greenland with force, we’re probably going to be next.”

Iceland's decision is whether to continue going it alone successfully and maintain control of precious natural resources like its lucrative and well-managed fisheries, or to strengthen ties with Europe to better insulate the country from geopolitical instability and gain economic benefits such as the more stable euro currency and lower interest rates and inflation.

Iceland, which is a member of the NATO alliance, already participates in the EU’s frictionless single market and is part of the Schengen free-travel zone.

For both sides of the debate, it's really a matter of sovereignty, said Hulda Thorisdottir, a political science professor at the University of Iceland.

Opponents argue that the nation, which won its independence from the kingdom of Denmark in 1944, enjoys all the benefits of European integration with no drawbacks. Thorisdottir said why surrender that when Iceland is doing so well already.

“The independence of Iceland is the most precious resource that we have,” said Haraldur Olafsson, a physics professor who is chairman of Heimssýn, a euroskeptic group that opposes EU membership. “The possibility of making your own law and deciding how things are done is essential.”

EU proponents, however, view it through the lens of a rapidly changing world in which shifting alliances pose a security risk. Being outside the EU makes Iceland vulnerable and that threatens its sovereignty, Thorisdottir said.

Foreign and Defense Minister Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, who supports joining the EU, said that when she asks people from smaller countries such as Ireland, Finland or Luxembourg whether they feel they've lost their sovereignty, “they look at me like I’m a crazy woman” and say membership has made them stronger.

Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir’s center-left coalition government was elected in 2024 on a platform that backed a vote on EU membership.

Iceland's government applied for EU membership in 2009, after the country’s debt-burdened banking sector collapsed during the 2008 global financial crisis, but the decision wasn't put to voters. Accession talks were suspended in 2013 after a center-right government came to power, and formally ended in 2015.

The referendum is a first step to potentially joining the 27-nation bloc. Voters will answer a simple yes-or-no question: Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union?

If voters reject the proposal, the issue would be put to rest.

A yes vote would trigger a negotiating process with the European Commission that will assess 35 areas, from financial systems to fisheries, transport networks, agricultural regulations, and freedoms such as speech and religion.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos is in for a busy period ahead, with Montenegro and Albania deep into their accession negotiations and Ukraine and Moldova eyeing entry too.

Speaking in Zagreb earlier this week, Kos said that Iceland's accession talks could be relatively straightforward given it's already part of the single market.

“It could finalize accession negotiations in one to two years from now,” she said.

Any agreement would need to be approved by all current EU member nations, and then voters in Iceland would have the final say on whether to join.

The descendants of Vikings who settled Iceland have been living off the sea for centuries, and fishing remains part of the country's cultural identity. They fought the so-called Cod Wars with Britain to win control of their fishing grounds in the 1970s.

Their rich North Atlantic fishing grounds have always been a key sticking point to joining the EU over concerns they would have to join the Common Fisheries Policy that would allow Spanish, Dutch and other trawlers into their waters.

Any deal with the EU that doesn't protect Iceland's fishing rights is seen as dead in the water, but Gunnarsdóttir and other officials are confident any deal will offer an exemption for Iceland's fisheries.

“We are a superpower when it comes to fisheries,” she said. “We will not sign any agreement which will not underline our sovereignty and full control of our fisheries.”

Heiðrun Lind Marteinsdóttir, the CEO of Fisheries Iceland, said the seafood trade organization doesn't oppose joining the EU if there is a permanent opt-out from the fisheries policy, but she said that would be unprecedented.

“I think we need to be very realistic on the negotiation process and what we can get out of the negotiations,” she said. “To be honest, I think, we’re aiming high.”

Others in the industry are more skeptical that any protection of Icelandic fisheries would be lasting — especially for open water species like herring, capelin and mackerel that migrate between different fishing zones.

“We are going to see European fishing vessels here in Iceland,” Einar Sigurdsson, chairman of Isfelag fishing company, predicted.

The government had planned to hold the vote by next year, but moved it up after Trump’s repeated overtures about taking over Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally.

The U.S. State Department reassured officials in Iceland that Trump meant Greenland, during his repeated slip of the tongue at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said Gunnarsdóttir, the foreign minister.

It didn't help that William Long, the newly arrived U.S. ambassador in Reykjavik, once joked that Iceland would become the 52nd U.S. state and he'd be its governor. He apologized, but the remark prompted thousands of Icelanders to sign a petition urging the prime minister to reject his appointment.

Gunnarsdóttir said that Trump's saber-rattling emphasized the importance of the EU's collection of small and large nations standing as one with Greenland and Denmark.

“That is so important for us to see a group of like-minded nations stand together on principles and values,” she said. “That is also what I’m looking at when I see the European Union in this volatile world.”

Lorne Cook contributed to this report from Brussels.

People listen to speakers at an "Afram Island," "Forward, Iceland" rally opposing the resumption of European Union accession talks at Austurvollur in Reykjavik, Iceland, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir speaks at a public event about a referendum on whether to resume accession negotiations with the European Union in Reykjavik, Iceland, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir speaks at a public event about a referendum on whether to resume accession negotiations with the European Union in Reykjavik, Iceland, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

People hold a banner reading "No" as they listen to speakers at an "Afram Island," "Forward, Iceland," rally opposing the resumption of European Union accession talks at Austurvollur in Reykjavik, Iceland, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

People with Icelandic flags attend an "Afram Island", "Forward, Iceland", rally, opposing the resumption of European Union accession talks at Austurvollur in Reykjavik, Iceland, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco

A fishing boat moored at Reykjavik Harbor in Reykjavik, Iceland, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/James Brooks)

An Icelandic flag waves in the wind at Reykjavik Harbor in Reykjavik, Iceland, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/James Brooks)

Workers process fish at Visir's fish processing facility in Grindavik, Iceland, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/James Brooks)

A supporter holds a t-shirt reading, "Yes to see", at the opening of the "Yes" campaign's office in Reykjavik, Iceland, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/James Brooks)

A man holds a badge reading "See", at the opening of the "Yes" campaign's office in Reykjavik, Iceland, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/James Brooks)