Xiaoxi Zhang, a cross-media media person from Hong Kong, told the reporter, "I really like salmon, and I thought that salmon came from Norway and Canada. But this time, after coming to Qinghai and visiting Longyangxia, I thought that the salmon I ate in Hong Kong might come from Qinghai."

On June 30th, under the organization of the Qinghai Provincial Department of Commerce, a Hong Kong media delegation visited the largest cold-water fish production base in China - the salmon farming base in the Longyangxia Reservoir of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, to explore and understand the development of the cold-water fish industry.

The picture shows a Hong Kong media delegation visiting the salmon farming base in the Longyangxia Reservoir of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, to learn about the development of the cold-water fish industry. Photographed by Zhang Hailun.

The average altitude of the Longyangxia Reservoir is over 2600 meters, with water sources coming from glaciers and melting snow on mountains. The water area reaches 383 square kilometers, with an average annual water temperature of about 12 degrees Celsius. The average water depth in the farming area is 120 meters, providing an ideal natural habitat for salmon farming due to its pure water quality and suitable water temperature.

As learned from the reporter, the Longyangxia salmon farm is the only fishery in China to have obtained the ASC and BAP 4-star international dual certification. 'In 2024, we obtained the STC and CMA certification from Hong Kong,' said Xue Xin, the quality director of Longyang Zhi Xian (Qinghai) Co., Ltd., introducing that the farmed salmon in Longyangxia is mainly triploid rainbow trout, with an annual output exceeding 15,000 tons, and exported to countries such as Singapore, Thailand, and Spain.

The picture shows the salmon farming pens in the Longyangxia Reservoir of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. Photographed by Zhang Hailun.

After visiting the salmon farming base and tasting the salmon produced in Longyangxia, Zha Xiaoxin commented: "(Salmon) is very fat and delicious, with a lot of oil but not greasy. Moreover, I see that the farming site is very clean, with no pollution, and I have great confidence in the quality of Qinghai's salmon."

According to information, the annual output of salmon farmed in Longyangxia accounts for 60% of the domestic market, with an export amount of 3.5 billion yuan in 2024, accounting for 98% of the domestically produced salmon.

Statistics show that in the first five months of this year, Qinghai Province exported 2344.7 tons of cold-water fish products such as frozen rainbow trout and frozen rainbow trout fillets, with a growth of 1.3 times.