The yellowfin seabream of Jinwan District is a month away from being granted national protection as a Geographical Indicator following a Dec 9 expert review by the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs.

The soon-to-be Nationally Protected Geographical Indication Agricultural Product is raised in a standardized yellowfin seabream breeding area of 15,000 mu (1,000 hectares, 2,471 acres), the largest of its kind in the country. The Jinwan application team discussed the quality, characteristics, environment, production, culture, history, reputation, and industrial prospects of the fish and area at a review meeting and answered questions from experts.

Jinwan yellowfin seabream [File photo by Zhang Zhou]

The experts agreed that yellowfin seabream inhabit a unique growing environment, are of prominent quality and characteristics, and have profound development history and huge industrial prospects. Recognition as a Geographical Indicator with industrial property rights will come after a one-month public notice.

The Jinwan area supplies 15,000 tons of the product to the Pearl River Delta, Hong Kong, Macao, Fujian Province, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The district is home to a chain of yellowfin seabream enterprises dealing with breeding seedlings, aquacultural production, and product circulation, which together have an output value of more than 600 million yuan ($92 million).

In the 1980s Jinwan began breeding yellowfin seabream where fresh and saltwater interface. It was named "Hometown of Yellow-fin Bream" by the China Aquatic Products Processing & Marketing Alliance in December 2019. This helped the sector to become the city's demonstration industry for rural revitalization while also financially benefiting local farmers.

Nationally Protected Geographical Indication Agricultural Products are produced in a specific area where the product quality and relevant features mainly depend on the natural ecological environment and historical and cultural factors.