Shanghai Ocean University expands intl fishery cooperation

Shanghai Ocean University is reaping fruitful results from continuously expanding international collaboration on fisheries, improving people's livelihood, and contributing to sustainable fishery development in various nations.

In Cambodia, the university has been promoting rice-fish and rice-shrimp farming since 2021. Highlighting the giant freshwater prawn, or Macrobrachium rosenbergii, the team made continuous efforts in demonstrating, developing, and optimizing the rice-shrimp farming techniques catering to local conditions.

With the team's solid support, a total of 38 demonstration households were developed, and the prawns' survival rate has increased from 40 percent to 78 percent, helping lift 42 farming households out of poverty, according to the team.

Also, given that local rice-fish farming talent is essential to Cambodia's sustainable industrial development, the university team also worked to train local talent as well as attract Cambodian students to study in China.

Since last year, a total of 11 aquaculture students from Cambodia have been recruited to study in Shanghai through scholarships, and many Cambodian graduates have returned to their nation to serve in the agriculture sector. The team also carried out 17 training programs to over 430 farmers in Cambodia, offering hundreds of technical guidance books to local farmers and technicians.

Matine Chhorn, a 28-year-old PhD student from Cambodia, is currently studying at the university with a focus on aquaculture and genetic breeding. He saw that the friendship between China and Cambodia has always been close and built on mutual trust and cooperation.

"China has brought a lot of experts to my country. One clear example is the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, which not only strengthens regional ties but also supports education, research, and sustainable development," said Chhorn.