Half of the sea cucumber breeding seedlings in China come from Jimo district, Qingdao, according to industry insiders.

The district's sea cucumber culture is mainly distributed in the sea area of Tianheng Island and Dingzi Bay, with a cultivation area spanning more than 2,000 hectares. It has formed a complete industrial chain from sea cucumber breeding, processing, and circulation to sales, and has become a new growth driver of the local marine economy.

"Qingdao's sea cucumber farming is certainly not the largest in China in terms of area, but the city's advantages in seedling technology and scale are obvious," said Chen Chengying, president of the Jimo district Tianheng sea cucumber association.

"Southern farmers all come to Qingdao to buy sea cucumber seedlings because the quality of sea cucumber seedlings in Qingdao is good, the seedling technology is relatively mature, and the breeding environment in Qingdao is similar to that in the south, which is conducive to subsequent breeding," said Chen.

At present, farmers in Tianheng Island and other places in Jimo have begun to carry out deep-sea free-range sea cucumber breeding, so that sea cucumbers grow in their natural environment from a young age, which will help them increase disease resistance.

"Jimo sea cucumber" marked products are sold throughout the country through online and offline channels, with an annual income of about 20 million yuan ($2.77 million), and have helped more than 110 farmers get rich.

A sea cucumber breeding base in Jimo district, Qingdao. [Photo/Guanhai News]

An employee works at a sea cucumber breeding base in Jimo district. [Photo/Guanhai News]

The sea cucumber industry has become a new growth engine of Jimo's marine economy. [Photo/Guanhai News]