2025 has been a pivotal year for Qicai Seed Industry in deepening its presence in the aquatic seed sector and empowering the blue economy. Propelled by supportive policies and driven by sci-tech innovation, the company has centered on technological breakthroughs, targeted industrial upgrading, and adopted open cooperation as its pathway. It has achieved remarkable milestones in independent seed source development, technological innovation, and market expansion, delivering a high-quality development performance for China's aquatic seed industry through concrete actions.

Technological Breakthroughs

Forging Core Advantages in Independent Seed Source and Equipment Development

      As an innovation pioneer in the aquatic seed sector, the company has consistently focused on breakthroughs in critical technologies to address key bottlenecks in industrial development. In September 2025, its independently developed "Large-Scale Seedling High-Density Recirculating Aquaculture Technology for Salmon" was certified as internationally leading by authoritative evaluations, laying a solid technical foundation for the localized cultivation of salmon in China. Backed by the research team of Ocean University of China, the company has continued to deepen its efforts in Murray cod breeding, establishing the world's largest broodstock population of Murray cod and developing exclusive strains adapted to high-density industrial recirculating aquaculture. With a localization rate of 100%, the company has successfully broken free from the "chokepoint" dilemma in seed source supply.

      Equipment R&D Achieves New Milestones: In June, the company successfully registered the trademark for "Super Fish Bowl®", a set of industry-leading integrated industrial recirculating aquaculture equipment. Integrating multi-functional modules such as water quality monitoring, intelligent feeding, and purification treatment, the system provides an efficient solution for the industrialization and intellectualization of aquatic aquaculture. Additionally, the factory-built recirculating water treatment equipment developed by the company has been successfully deployed in Anhui, Jiangsu, Jilin and other regions, promoting the popularization and development of large-scale aquaculture technologies.

Accolades Galore, Demonstrating the Strength of an Industry Benchmark

     With outstanding performance in variety breeding, technological innovation, and industrial empowerment, the company has earned multiple high-profile recognitions. It was awarded the title of "Qingdao's Popular Agricultural Product" in March 2025 and obtained the qualification of "Qingdao Seafood Annual Authorized Aquaculture Enterprise" in August, with its brand influence and industry recognition continuously rising. As China's first provincial-level Murray cod elite seed farm, the company is also the world's first Murray cod aquaculture and seedling farm certified by BAP, leading the high-quality development of the industry with rigorous standards.

      On the policy front, the company has fully leveraged the dividends of the Seed Industry Revitalization Strategy. As a collaborative partner, it has participated in the national key R&D program Breeding of High-yield and Stress-tolerant New Varieties (Strains) of Salmonids and Catfish, as well as two Shandong provincial key R&D programs: the Salmon Breeding and Cultivation Science and Technology Demonstration Project and the Creation of Superior Germplasm for Major Facility-cultured Fish. Relying on its technological advantages, the company has led the whole-chain R&D efforts spanning breeding, propagation and cultivation, injecting new-quality productive forces into the transformation and upgrading of the industry.

Open Cooperation to Build a Global Industrial Collaborative Ecosystem

      In 2025, the company embraced an open approach to connect global resources and build a multi-level cooperation network.

      In terms of international exchanges, delegations including a group of Japanese aquatic product experts, a delegation from Norway’s AKVA Group (a global leader in aquaculture technology), and representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Laos have visited the company successively. In-depth discussions were held on topics such as breeding and cultivation technology innovation and international market development, leading to a consensus on technology sharing and cooperation.

       In the realm of domestic collaboration, the company has entered into a strategic salmon sales partnership with Qingdao Meichu Foods, establishing an integrated industrial chain model covering "seedling supply, farming, processing and sales" to help reduce the domestic salmon industry’s reliance on imports. Meanwhile, it has carried out technical cooperation with Dalian Haifa Group, Lianshen Ocean Company and other enterprises, promoting the coordinated development of land-based recirculating aquaculture and offshore deep-sea farming.

     The company’s technological strength has gained international recognition. Origin-aquaculture enterprises in Australia have taken the initiative to seek technical support for the breeding of Murray cod fry. This has enabled the company to transform its role from a "technology importer" to a "technology exporter and leader", contributing Chinese solutions to the sustainable development of the global fishery industry.

Government-Enterprise Collaboration for the Development of the Blue Economy

        The company's development has always been supported and cared for by governments at all levels. In March 2025, Zeng Zanrong, Secretary of the Qingdao Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, visited the enterprise for research and supervision, encouraging it to strengthen research on new variety breeding and accelerate industrialization. As a leading enterprise in Qingdao's marine breeding sector, the company actively responds to the marine power strategy, planning to build two breeding parks (freshwater and seawater). Among them, the"Land-based Recirculating Aquaculture Salmon Seed Industry and Breeding Base", co-built with the West Coast New Area, innovates the"land-sea relay + land-based recirculating aquaculture"dual-track breeding model, providing production capacity support for China's salmon market.

Industry-University-Research Integration: Building Platforms for Talent Development and Technological Innovation

      As a teaching and research base for the College of Fisheries at Ocean University of China, the company has continuously deepened university-enterprise collaboration in talent cultivation and scientific research. In 2025, it has regularly hosted student internships and practical training programs, nurturing hands-on professionals for the aquatic seed industry. Focusing on the key technical challenges facing the sector, the company has jointly conducted research on multiple projects, including the breeding of pseudomale salmon, the optimization of salmon fry rearing technologies, the upgrading of Murray cod breeding techniques, and fry domestication. Through the in-depth integration of industry, university, and research, it has accelerated the iteration of scientific research achievements, injecting sustained impetus into seed innovation and industrial upgrading.

      The achievements of 2025 are not just a starting point, but also a clarion call for further advancement. Looking ahead, Qicai Seed Industry will continue to focus on high-end aquatic species such as salmon and Murray cod, deepen industry-university-research collaborative innovation, and accelerate the industrialization of scientific and technological achievements. We will keep expanding domestic and international cooperation networks, improve the integrated industrial chain layout, and help domestic aquatic seed industry step onto the international stage. With stronger conviction and more pragmatic actions, we will drive the green, industrialized and internationalized development of aquaculture, let the "fresh voice" of Chinese aquatic products resound across the world, and continuously empower the high-quality development of the blue economy!