Oysters, crabs flourish in desert ponds

The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is arid and far from any ocean — yet aquatic life is starting to thrive there.

Saline-alkali land has been converted into aquaculture ponds, turning barren ground into productive waters and putting seafood on plates thousands of kilometers from the coast.

What was once unusable land now yields aquatic products, sustains livelihoods, and points to a new direction for the region's development.

An oyster trial launched in late May in Xinkailing township, Aral, covers about 3.3 hectares, with total output expected to reach about 3 metric tons. All the oysters are sold fresh in local markets at affordable prices and have been well received by customers.

"The oysters in Xinjiang grow faster than those in our coastal hometown over the same period, and they taste even better," said Chen Wuqun, general manager of the aquaculture company behind the oyster project.

The project grew out of an investment promotion under Zhejiang province's paired assistance to Xinjiang, which aims to put the region's unused brackish waters and saline-alkali land to productive use.

Chen has more than 20 years' experience in aquaculture. In 2024, he set up a 6.7-hectare pilot pond, which showed that seafood species could survive local conditions. By the end of that year, the operation had expanded to 26.7 hectares. It now covers 93.3 hectares and farms multiple varieties of seafood, including oysters, Sanmen green crabs, green clams, mullet and shrimp.

Chen said all the ponds rely exclusively on treated local groundwater. The water is first left to settle so that rust can be removed, and then exposed to sunlight for more than seven days before being channeled into the ponds.

"Water quality is monitored every three days after seedlings are stocked, with calcium, magnesium, potassium, and other basic minerals replenished as needed. Lactic acid bacteria, photosynthetic bacteria, and suitable beneficial algae are also regularly introduced to support the growth of the aquatic organisms," Chen said.

Crab seedlings, fish fry, and oyster seedlings are all sourced from Zhejiang, airfreighted in, and stocked in batches. Oysters feed mainly on cultivated algae. The crabs and fish are fed mainly chilled fresh small fish and shrimp, trucked from Zhejiang in refrigerated vehicles.

Local demand has underpinned the project's growth. "We don't worry about sales. Local fresh seafood markets remain largely untapped, leaving ample room for domestically farmed products with little risk of oversupply. Local consumers now buy live seafood right here," Chen said.

He plans to expand the oyster farming area to 10 hectares next year.