Chinese farmers harvest Australian crayfish near Taklamakan Desert

In the Maigaiti County of Kashgar, Xinjiang, farmers near the Taklamakan Desert are successfully harvesting Australian freshwater crayfish. This aquaculture initiative is part of a broader Chinese government effort to develop saline-alkali aquaculture and inland fisheries, aiming to diversify food supplies and utilize abandoned land and water resources.

Through the ‘Shrimp from East to West’ technology transfer program, expertise from the modern marine aquaculture center in Rizhao, Shandong province, has been applied to this arid region. By utilizing recirculating aquaculture systems, greenhouses, and salinity-alkali adjustment techniques, farmers are now able to produce 250 to 300 kg of high-quality crustaceans daily in an area where such farming was previously considered impossible.