At dawn in Gaoguan waters off Taishan's Wuzhudao Island, fisherman Li monitors fish stocks through an intelligent aquaculture platform equipped with real-time salinity and temperature sensors. Simultaneously, 60,000 sea bass fry are released via automated systems at a farming base 100km away in Zhuhai.

Pioneered by Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), its typhoon-proof platforms withstand Category 17 storms, while its "Zhongxing No.2" shrimp boosts yields by 17% per mu. AI equipment, genetically enhanced species, and intelligent algorithms are replacing traditional net cages.

From academic labs to industrial applications, these technologies are redefining marine productivity across Guangdong's coastal regions.

By bridging academia and industry, the university is fostering a collaborative model of government, industry, academia, and research to advance high-quality development of the marine sector.

High-quality seedlings: driving sustainable aquaculture

Led by Professor He Jianguo, researchers at SYSU have successfully developed two premium shrimp varieties, "Zhongxing No.2" and "Haijingzhou No.1," using cutting-edge molecular breeding technology. The team conducted comprehensive genomic decoding and genetic evaluation of marine species, thereby optimizing breeding stock for marine ranching.

"Zhongxing No.2 demonstrates 17% higher yield potential through enhanced disease resistance and survival rates, while Haijingzhou No.1 adapts well to diverse aquaculture environments with accelerated growth to market size," Professor He explained.

Professor He Jianguo mentors graduate researchers in shrimp breeding trials.

The institution's May 2024 approval to establish the Guangdong Marine Genetic Resource Center further strengthens its position in marine biotechnology.

Beyond its breeding efforts, the university is driving advancements in healthy aquaculture technologies. At a sea bass farming base in Zhuhai, eight self-developed vaccine injection machines administered vaccines to 60,000 fry in just four hours. These innovations, including eight rapid on-site pathogen detection technologies and five candidate fish vaccines, have significantly boosted fry survival rates and farming efficiency.

Researchers operate automated fish vaccine injection equipment to administer vaccines to sea bass fry at a marine ranching base.

Seven additional research teams from SYSU were selected in July 2024 for Guangdong's core technology research projects for modern marine ranching, focusing on species including Japanese seaperch and red snapper. These coordinated efforts aim to drive breakthroughs in premium breeding stock development and industrial-scale aquaculture applications.

Platform innovations: propelling "blue granaries" construction

SYSU unveiled China's first foldable, self-elevating deep-sea intelligent aquaculture platform, Zhuhaiqin in 2023, marking a significant leap in marine farming technologies. Jointly developed by the university's School of Ocean Engineering and Technology and the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), this self-elevating net cage system is scheduled for operational deployment in Zhuhai's Dazhizhou waters by June 2025, with anticipated annual production value exceeding 10 million yuan.

Zhuhaiqin

"The platform integrates automated feeding systems, real-time environmental monitoring arrays, and offshore laboratories, which has significantly enhanced the mechanization, intelligent fishery production, and digital management capabilities of marine ranching," said Huang Shuo, the chief engineer of Zhuhaiqin and associate professor at School of Ocean Engineering and Technology.

In addition to developing hardware platforms, SYSU is also advancing the construction of software platforms such as marine ranching models and  monitoring and early-warning systems for marine ranches.

Led by Professor Lai Zhigang from the university’s School of Marine Sciences, a research team has established a high-resolution numerical forecasting model system for marine environments, enabling real-time predictions of key oceanographic variables including currents, waves, water temperature, and salinity.

In recent years, SYSU has achieved preliminary success in the development of the environmental monitoring data release and visualization platform. By establishing multiple forecast modelling systems, the university now provides marine ranching operations with early-warning information on ocean disasters, thereby enhancing the aquaculture management of "marine granaries".

Tech transfer: driving the growth of marine economy

The main structure of "Zhuhaiqin"deep-sea aquaculture platform  is currently under intensively manufacturing and debugging in Xinhui District, Jiangmen City. The rapid implementation reflects the university's proactive response to Guangdong Province's initiative for modern marine ranching development. Focusing on tackling core technologies in marine ranching industries and innovating collaboration models between industries, universities and research institutions, the university is pioneering cross-sector collaboration frameworks and core technological breakthroughs to accelerate the development of "blue granaries".

Since 2023, SYSU has pooled expertise from over 10 schools, held more than 20 interdisciplinary seminars, and conducted field studies in key regions such as Zhanjiang, Zhuhai, and Yantai to develop integrated solutions for modern marine ranching across the entire industrial chain. Additionally, plans are underway to establish a marine science institute and a comprehensive technology demonstration base in Shanwei for targeted R&D and achievement transformation, aligning with Guangdong’s strategy to build a marine economic powerhouse.

The research team conducts field studies in Shanwei.

The deep integration of government, industry, academia and research institutions is boosting the high-quality development of marine economy.