The Gaogang puffer fish – which lives in the waters of the Taizhou Medical High-tech Zone, also known as Gaogang district in Taizhou, in East China's Jiangsu province – was recently accorded a national geographical indication trademark.
This means that the fish, much prized in restaurant dishes, now comes under national legal protection.
The Gaogang puffer fish has become one of the featured seafood products in the zone since the early 1960s, with its great taste and rich nutrition.
The zone's beautiful natural environment, unique historical and cultural nature and standardized cultivation techniques have created the existing level of high quality of the Gaogang puffer fish.
In recent years, the zone has actively conducted the project of cultivating and promoting new green and high-quality agricultural products –focusing on guiding industry associations to strengthen the cultural and historical protection and brand cultivation of the Gaogang puffer fish.
The zone has also intensified cooperation with universities and research institutes to apply standardized breeding techniques and to improve the nutritional quality of the puffer fish.
At present, those cultivating it have adopted a tailor-made management model with the cooperation of associations, companies, farmers and cooperatives, realizing production and sales of over 1,000 metric tons of puffer fish annually.
A tasty dish made that features the Gaogang puffer fish. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_8cb388937002]