Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Song Weiguo) news: In the salmon farming base of Gongliu County Tianyun Fishery Co., Ltd., located in Jirgelang Township, Gongliu County, massive eco-friendly net pens with a diameter of 64 meters float on the water surface. Tens of thousands of salmon are thriving happily inside these nets. From fry breeding and smart farming to deep processing and cold chain transportation, the entire growth process of Xinjiang salmon is infused with technological power.

Recently, a media team from national provincial media visited this farming base and witnessed the high-tech lifestyle of the salmon.

Established in 2014, Xinjiang Tianyun Organic Agriculture Co., Ltd. has developed 100 square kilometers of high-quality cold-water fish farming surface area, three salmon farming bases, three primary processing plants, two deep processing plants, and has established four wholly-owned subsidiaries, including Gongliu County Tianyun Fishery Co., Ltd.

When it comes to technology operation, Xie Shengdong, assistant to the vice general manager of Xinjiang Tianyun Organic Agriculture Co., Ltd., explained, "These net pens floating on the water are designed to withstand wind and waves and are environmentally friendly. Additionally, through years of effort, we have equipped ourselves with various facilities such as large-diameter fish pumps, underwater cleaning robots, online water quality monitoring systems, and waste collection systems. This allows us to raise better salmon while maintaining a healthy ecological environment."

Photo shows the intelligent feeding platform, which feeds according to the pre-set time and amount. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Song Weiguo)

At the center of the net pens, there is a rotating sprinkler connected to feed pipelines floating on the water surface, which are linked to an intelligent feeding platform. This serves as the feeding channel for the salmon. Staff simply need to preset the feeding amount and timing, and the feed pellets are automatically delivered through high-pressure Roots blowers along the pipelines into the net pens. The rotating sprinkler evenly distributes the feed, ensuring every salmon gets its food on time.

"The feed dosage for our salmon is determined through repeated analysis and calculation based on extensive farming data. We scientifically adjust the feed amount according to the different growth stages of the salmon to better promote their healthy growth," said Xie Shengdong.

Salmon living underwater produce waste such as feces and residual feed, and maintaining clean water is a challenge. In 2019, Xinjiang Tianyun Organic Agriculture Co., Ltd. independently developed an underwater intelligent cleaning robot that was put into use. This robot is equipped with sonar systems, imaging systems, and cleaning systems, allowing it to dive to the bottom of the net pens, accurately locate and move around, collect waste from the water, and then convert it into organic fertilizer for greening the facility grounds.

Photo shows workers package processed salmon at a salmon breeding base of Tianyun Fishery Co., Ltd. in Gongliu County, Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Song Weiguo)

On the day of the visit, it happened to be the harvesting season. A worker pressed a button on the fish pump, and silvery-gray salmon swam out of the net pens with the water flow into a pipeline. This large-diameter fish pump was also independently developed by Xinjiang Tianyun Organic Agriculture Co., Ltd., costing only one-tenth of imported equipment. One end of the fish pump submerges into the water of the smart farming net pens, while the other end connects to the harvesting and processing platform. Adult salmon enter the processing platform through the pipeline and undergo multiple steps before finally being placed into blue insulated boxes, which are then sent in batches to the processing plant.

In the processing workshop, automated production lines operate continuously, processing salmon into products such as salmon sashimi, fish fillets, and even deep-processed items like salmon protein peptides and salmon oil. This significantly multiplies the value of the fish.

"Now, the entire process from harvesting live fish to completing processing takes no more than four hours, ensuring that customers enjoy the freshest salmon with the best texture," said Xie Shengdong.