A water leech breeding base in the Qilin community of Chengxi Street – in the Hailing district of Taizhou city, in East China's Jiangsu province – recently had a bountiful harvest and the facility has boosted overall rural development in the area.
Water leeches, known for their medicinal properties, have high economic value due to the hirudin they secrete. This contains anticoagulant enzymes that are highly effective in treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
The water leeches bred in the base belong to the wide-bodied gold line leech variety.
These non-blood-sucking leeches do not feed on human or other vertebrate blood and have extremely high medicinal value. Their market demand is large, making them highly profitable.
The Qilin community's breeding base spans 100 mu (6.67 hectares) and comprises rows of canvas reservoirs. Each reservoir spans 48 square meters and can accommodate 4,000 to 9,000 water leeches.
The head of the breeding base, Xu Liang, said that the water leeches mature in 3-5 months and have a short breeding cycle. With an investment of 350 catties of larvae eggs this year, the projected output is over 50,000 catties, with a market value of nearly 7 million yuan ($958,395).
Xu has been breeding water leeches for 10 years and transformed the base into a standardized breeding center last year. The base has gained nationwide attention in the field, attracting visitors from across the country interested in learning breeding techniques and providing employment opportunities to 1,500 people.