"As a marine powerhouse, Shandong has been promoting the development of marine ranching to realize the high-quality development of its marine economy," said Yang Hongsheng, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

By the end of 2020, Shandong had built 79,000 hectares of marine ranches, including 54 State-level demonstration areas, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the country's total, while the comprehensive economic income of local marine ranches exceeded 250 billion yuan ($38.68 billion), said Yang.

People harvest fish at the "Genghai No 1" marine ranch complex in Yantai, Shandong province on Oct 30, 2020. [Photo/VCG]

The expert said that developing marine ranching is an effective way to protect the environment, restore habitats, conserve resources, and achieve sustainable output of fishery resources. It will also improve the informatization, equipment and intelligence level of local aquaculture.

He said that Shandong has a unique advantage when it comes to promoting the development of marine ranching.

"The coastline of Shandong is 3,345 kilometers long, accounting for one-sixth of the country’s total, and it is home to abundant coastal resources," said Yang, "It is also home to 55 marine research and teaching institutions at the provincial-level or above and 236 marine science and technology platforms at the provincial-level or above."

Yang added that Shandong also has a complete marine industrial chain, involving hundreds of related enterprises.

He suggested that Shandong should continue to improve its scientific and technological innovation capabilities and adopt internet of things, artificial intelligence, big data and other cutting-edge technologies as it works to develop marine ranching.

"Shandong should also focus on cultivating new business models and promoting the integrated development of marine ranches with new energy, cultural tourism, and other fields," said Yang.