The Sao Tome and Principe-flagged vessel Ocean King (Haiwei) loads fish fry at an anchorage outside Xincun Port in Lingshui. Photo: Cong Gao

On June 4, the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged vessel Ocean King (Haiwei), carrying 630,000 live fish fry, departed from Xincun Port in Lingshui, Hainan and set sail for Penang, Malaysia. This shipment includes 600,000 golden pomfret fry and 30,000 grouper fry, and comprises Hainan's first shipment of live fish fry exported to Southeast Asia by sea this year.

Golden pomfret and grouper fry are among Hainan's key aquaculture seed products, valued for their high survival rates and low farming costs. Demand in the Southeast Asian market is stable, and export volumes continue to grow.

Fishermen and crew load fish fry onto the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged vessel Ocean King (Haiwei) at Xincun Port in Lingshui. Photo: Cong Gao

A representative from Hainan Chenhai Aquatic Product Company stated in an interview that the company has achieved large-scale fish fry breeding, bringing a stable supply to the Southeast Asian market. In the future, thanks to market demand and Hainan's unique aquaculture advantages, the company will expand the types and quantities of exported fish fry on offer.

Leveraging its unique tropical marine resources and increasingly advanced aquaculture breeding technologies, Hainan has gradually established a full industrial chain covering seed breeding, commercial aquaculture, and cross-border distribution. As overseas demand continues to grow, local aquaculture enterprises are capitalizing on their breeding expertise, accelerating the development of supporting infrastructure, and advancing the transformation and upgrading of the seedling industry, helping high-quality Hainan aquatic seedlings reach markets around the world.