Major sturgeon aquaculture project launches production in Yidu

By Chen Si

The first batch of broodstock was stocked at a major new sturgeon farming project in Gaobazhou Town on January 7, marking the start of production at the facility and a key step toward industrial modernization in Yidu.

Developed by Hubei Qingjiang Sturgeon Valley Special Fisheries Co., Ltd., the project includes 442 newly constructed standardized ponds stocked with more than 800 tons of broodstock. With a total investment exceeding 400 million yuan (US$57 million), the facility covers 320 mu (21.3 hectares).

In addition to expanding aquaculture operations, the company has partnered with Gaobazhou Town under a “guaranteed base income plus profit-sharing” model, which is expected to increase the village’s collective income by more than 800,000 yuan annually.
 

Ji Jianyi, the company’s general manager, said that once the second phase of the project is fully completed, local sturgeon biomass is expected to increase by more than 5,000 tons, with a planned compound annual growth rate of 70 percent. The facility’s output value this year is projected to exceed 600 million yuan.

Through a collaborative model involving government, enterprises, and local farmers, the project integrates high-quality aquaculture resources while promoting standardized, large-scale sturgeon farming and strengthening the “Qingjiang Sturgeon” brand.
 

Yang Jun, director of the Yichang Aquatic Technology Station under the Yichang Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, noted that municipal and county-level aquatic departments have provided sustained support in areas including policy guidance, seedling breeding, disease prevention and control, and wastewater treatment. Over the past three years, these departments have helped secure nearly 30 million yuan in central and provincial fisheries development subsidies, all directed toward infrastructure development. Key initiatives include establishing a provincial-level sturgeon breeding base with an annual capacity of eight million high-quality fry, conducting regular water quality monitoring, offering disease prevention guidance, and promoting advanced technologies such as recirculating aquaculture systems and wastewater treatment solutions.
 

Yichang’s sturgeon industry now ranks among the largest in the country, with 24 farming enterprises and nine processing facilities. In 2025, the city’s sturgeon biomass reserves exceeded 12,000 tons, annual caviar production surpassed 220 tons, and total industry output value exceeded 1.5 billion yuan, making the sector an important pillar for regional economic development and rural revitalization. 

Zhou Chongyu, Zheng Peng, Liao Xiandan also contributed to this story