Golden Bay (Jinwan) Yellowfin Seabream on June 4 became the first agricultural product in Jinwan District to obtain national protection as a Geographical Indicator, joining only Doumen District's Baijiao Sea Bass in Zhuhai.

Geographical Indicators are essentially trademarks that protect a product from a specific region and with a particular quality. The Jinwan Seabream is popular in the market due to smooth taste and rich nutrition of crude protein and methionine. Sensitivity to salinity, temperature, and other indicators, however, makes it difficult to breed.  

Jinwan is situated at the convergence of fresh and saltwater and has an average temperature of 22 C (71.6 F). Sanzao Islanders began cultivating Yellowfin Seabream during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Local farmers achieved a high yield cultivating the fish in ponds during the 1980s and 1990s, lifting the curtain on mass artificial breeding.

Farmer shows yellowfin seabreams [Photo by Zhang Zhou / Zhuhai Daily]

A plan to promote standardized and branding was released by Jinwan District in 2018. Yellowfin Seabream Modern Agriculture Industrial Park was then established in 2019, leading toward an industrial chain encompassing production, processing, science and technology, and marketing. Today, the district has a standardized Jinwan Yellowfin Seabream breeding area of 15,000 mu (1,000 hectares, 2,471 acres), the largest of its kind in the country.

The application for designation as a Nationally Protected Geographical Indication Agricultural Product was initiated in 2018. The Jinwan Agricultural, Rural & Water Affairs Bureau oversaw regional standards for quality and technology.  

Jinwan was named "Hometown of Yellowfin Bream" by the China Aquatic Products Processing & Marketing Alliance in 2019. The elevated brand awareness helped increase the income of local farmers. And the price of Jinwan Yellowfin Seabream grew by 25 percent from last year, and production increased by 20 percent month-on-month during the May Day holiday. These Yellowfin Bream are sold to Pearl River Delta cities including Hong Kong and Macao, and in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Lai Sichun, director of the Jinwan Agricultural, Rural & Water Affairs Bureau, said the district will next organize thematic promotions to assist with the "going out" of Golden Bay Yellowfin Seabream.