Located in Jingzhou, Hubei Province, the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute (YRFRI) of CAFS – 长江水产研究所 is one of the earliest key fishery science research institutions in China and is affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA). As of the end of 2022, the institute employed 173 people It is based in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River and focuses on addressing key scientific and technological challenges in the development of China’s freshwater fisheries. Its research priorities include the protection and utilization of fishery resources, aquatic biodiversity protection, and aquatic product safety and quality evaluation. The institute also conducts research and technology development in aquaculture, breeding, aquatic disease prevention and control, aquatic nutrition, and feed.
Since its establishment, YRFRI has undertaken over 2,500 scientific research projects of various types. Notable achievements include the cultivation of seven new national-level aquatic species, such as “Ying Carp”, “Changfeng Silver Carp”, and “Changfeng Crucian Carp”. The institute has also made significant advancements in several areas, including:
- Technology and application of fish resource enhancement
- Technical systems and demonstrations of rare fish breeding and species protection
- Key technologies for green and efficient cultivation of crayfish in rice fields, and their quality and safety control
- Research on ecological fishery development in the Three Gorges area
- Nutritional requirements of grass carp and the development of efficient, environmentally friendly feeds
- Key technologies for the safe production of channel catfish
- Large-scale artificial breeding of eel
Over the past 65 years, the institute has expanded significantly, with new branches established in Wuhan, Jingzhou, Chongqing, and Liangzihu. Among its accomplishments, YRFRI has built the Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Freshwater Fish Germplasm Supervision, Inspection and Testing Center, the Aquatic Product Quality and Safety Risk Assessment Laboratory (Wuhan), and the Hubei Provincial Aquatic Product Quality and Safety Engineering Technology Research Center. It also manages 15 provincial (ministerial) and hospital-level key laboratories, engineering centers, and field stations, including the Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Utilization and the Huku Ecological Fisheries Engineering Technology Research Center.
The institute collaborates with more than 30 scientific research and teaching institutions worldwide, including in the United States, Japan, the Czech Republic, and Singapore. Notably, YRFRI has jointly established the “China-Czech Fish Conservation and Biotechnology Joint Laboratory” with Czech universities, where it has made breakthrough progress in the research and development of endangered fish protection technologies. The institute has also provided technical assistance to over 10 countries, including Cuba and Bangladesh.
More information (in Chinese): http://www.yfi.ac.cn.
