The National Basic Research Program ("973" Program) “Investigation of Crucial Scientific Issues in Intensive Aquaculture of Freshwater Ponds in China” led by Prof. Pin NIE from the Institute of Hydrobiology, CAS was approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology (Grant No. 2009CB118700), with a total fund of 30 million RMB.  

This project will be launched in January 2009 with the duration of 5 years. The aim of this project is to establish the theory basis and knowledge system for the construction of resource-saving and environment-friendly intensive aquaculture mode, and to lead aquaculture into the pathway of sustainable development.  

Three key scientific problems are focused in the project, i.e. “the genetic basis and the regulation mechanism of fish growth, nutrition, and disease-resistant”, “the pathogenicity of fish bacterial and viral pathogens and the immunization-control theory for fish diseases” and “the functions of various ecological populations in maintaining the environment-stablilization of freshwater pond”.  

The primary participators at IHB include Profs. Shouqi XIE, Yuhe YU, Qiya ZHANG, Yaping WANG, Guitang WANG, Heping DAI, Jianguo WANG, from the following research groups, i.e. Fish Physiological Ecology, Taxonomy and Ecology of Protozoa, Aquatic Virology, Fish Gene-Engineering, Fish Immunology and Parasitology,Aquatic Animal Protein Engineering, and Healthy Aquaculture. In addition, other participating institutions include Wuhan Institute of Virology, CAS, Zhejiang University, Ocean University of China, Huazhong Agricultural University, Guangdong Ocean University, Jinan University and TongWei Co., Ltd. etc.  

Prof. Pin NIE said, “the contradiction between the aquacultural development and the shortage of water resources becomes more and more serious in China. The current aquaculture modes need to be diverted into source-saving and environment-friendly ones. This is not only a scientific issue but a prominent social problem as well and here lies the value of this project.  

The implementation of this project will promote the establishment of systematic biological approaches and theory framework in terms of intensive aquaculture in freshwater pondso as to direct the development of intensive aquaculture in freshwater pond, and to lead the future trend of fishery science and technology as well as of aquaculture genetics industry in China. Hopefully, this project will promote China’s transformation from a large fishery country to a powerful one.”