USSEC successfully completed the first harvest of a new fish culture technology in China with the harvest of 42 metric tons of grass carp from three raceways built inside a 2.1 hectare pond.  This intensive pond aquaculture (IPA) technology was developed in the United States as a means to increase the productivity of aquaculture in existing pond units by culturing fish in aerated raceways within ponds and removing solid wastes.  Removal of the solid wastes allows for a threefold or greater increase in fish production over traditional pond culture technologies.  USSEC introduced this technology to China through a cooperative project funded by the Iowa Soybean Association and the Wujiang Municipal Aquaculture Co. Ltd. China (Wujiang), with technical guidance from Dr. Jesse Chappell of Auburn University.

The harvest at the Pingwang Fish Farm was attended by CEO Kirk Leeds of the Iowa Soybean Association; United Soybean Board (USB) Director Marc Curtis; American Soybean Association (ASA) Director Bret Davis; Jim Zhang, Zhou Enhua and David Li of the USSEC-China aquaculture program; and Dr. Michael Cremer and Pam Helmsing of USSEC-United States.  Also attending were representatives of the China Ministry of Agriculture’s national, regional and local Bureaus of Fisheries and Fisheries Extension Technology Stations and numerous media representatives.
The IPA technology has generated considerable interest as a means to address constraints related to increasing demand for aquaculture products, increasing land values and rent prices, and water availability, water quality and food safety issues in China.  Several new IPA systems are planned for construction in other regions in 2014.