Success Stories In Asian Aquaculture - Library - Network of ...

Chapter 9The Role of Exotics in Chinese InlandAquacultureJiasho u Liu and Zhongjie LiAbstract China is not only the cradle of aquaculture, dating back to 2500 yearsago, but in the context of modern aquaculture, it also leads global production. In China,inland aquaculture is the dominant component. However, with major socioeconomicchanges that took place in the country since the beginning of the early 1980s,aquaculture has followed suite to meet consumer aspirations through a moderateshift into the culture of exotic species. The production of exotics increased from780,000 tons in 1998 to 2.5 million tons in 2006, accounting for 5.9 and 11.7% ofthe total, respectively. Some exotic species have come to play an important roleboth in aquaculture production and economy, such as the channel catfish, tilapia,red swamp crayfish, sturgeons, and Pacific white shrimp. In a nutshell, the aquacultureproduction of exotics exceeds that of all continents other than Asia, emphasisingthe role of exotics in aquaculture in China.The role of exotics in aquaculture is a much debated issue, if not controversial,particularly of their impacts from a biodiversity viewpoint. The exotics species inaquaculture in China is not known to have brought about such impacts to date. In viewof the wide use of exotics in global aquaculture, it is most relevant to bring to lightthe success of exotics in Chinese inland aquaculture, the global leader.9.1 IntroductionFood fish represent an important source of animal protein for many developingcountries. More than one-third of animal protein in the diet of the Chinese peopleis sourced from fish. Fish is particularly important for the diet and nutrition of thepoor, as it is one of the affordable forms of animal protein. Aquaculture has becomean important industry for food security through the provision of income andemployment in China, which is the global leader in aquaculture production. In 2006,J. Liu () and Z. LiInstitute of Hydrobiology , Chinese Academy of Sciences , 7 South Donghu Road ,Wuhan 430072 , Chinae-mail: jsliu@ihb.ac.cnS.S. De Silva and F.B. Davy (eds.), Success Stories in Asian Aquaculture,© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010173