A delegation from the National Fisheries Technology Extension Center visited IHB on June 15 for discussions on aquaculture research and industrial development. (Credit: IHB)

A delegation from the National Fisheries Technology Extension Center visited the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on June 15 for discussions on aquaculture research and industrial development.

The delegation was led by HAN Gang, director of the National Fisheries Technology Extension Center, and included officials from the Hubei Agricultural Development Center and the Hubei Fisheries Technology Extension Station. IHB Director MIAO Wei hosted the visit, joined by senior institute leadership.

Miao welcomed the delegation and underscored IHB's role as a national strategic research force committed to aligning scientific discovery with industrial needs. He said the institute's work goes beyond ensuring food supply and quality, aiming to deliver advanced farming technologies and models that enhance public well-being and drive high-quality growth in the aquaculture sector.

Han outlined the Center's responsibilities, which span national planning for technology extension, demonstration of advanced practices, improved variety breeding, and disease control. He identified rice field eel breeding, fish disease management, and intelligent feeding systems as areas where IHB's research could support the Center's extension work. He called for closer collaboration with IHB on technology evaluation, demonstration projects, and extension networks to accelerate the adoption of effective solutions.

LI Shuibin, head of the provincial agricultural development center, noted that Hubei, one of China's leading freshwater fishery provinces, has long drawn on IHB's scientific expertise. He pledged to strengthen industry-academia-research platforms and smooth the path from lab to field, supporting the province's push to modernize and upgrade its aquaculture sector.