Chinese sea cucumber farmers count cost of deadly heatwave – but for some it’s a boon
With losses put at US$1 billion in the country’s northeast, one Dalian company using bigger offshore fisheries says it hasn’t been affected
A heatwave has taken a heavy toll on sea cucumber farms in northeast China, with rising water temperatures killing off many of the creatures in the past two weeks as the mercury soared.
In Liaoning province, most of the sea cucumbers being raised in shallow fishery ponds with depths of less than seven metres have died since a heatwave began on July 23 because high temperatures made the water too hot for them to tolerate, marine biologists said.
The coastal province is the main area where sea cucumbers – which are considered a delicacy in East Asia – are farmed in China.
But one seafood company in Dalian has benefited from the widespread devastation in the lucrative industry. Shares in Dalian Zhangzidao Fishery Group surged by the 10 per cent daily limit on Monday after the Shenzhen-listed firm said its sea cucumbers had not been affected by the heatwave.
“Zhangzidao grows its sea cucumbers in ‘ocean ranches’ – bigger offshore fisheries that are more resistant to high temperatures,” said Dong Yunwei, a marine biology professor at Xiamen University.
Sea cucumbers are produced mainly in China, South Korea, Japan and Russia. Dried products from places such as Dalian and Hokkaido in Japan are more highly sought after because they are considered better quality and can cost significantly more than others.