Fuyuan Salmon Roe

Fuyuan Salmon Roe

Fuyuan Salmon Roe is a protected geographical indication product.

Fuyuan Salmon Roe is an agricultural geographical indication product.

　　Salmon is a precious migratory economic fish species in the Heilongjiang and Ussuri rivers. They are born in rivers, grow up in the sea, and eventually return to rivers to spawn. Each salmon weighs around six to seven kilograms, with thick flesh and few bones. Salmon roe is even more valuable — about the size of soybeans, golden and translucent like pearls, making it a delicacy often served at state banquets.

　　Salmon is also known as Hāyú. It is mainly distributed in the northern parts of the Pacific Ocean, including the United States, Japan, Russia, Canada, and China. As a migratory anadromous fish, it is praised as a “patriotic traveler” that returns to its birthplace to die, living up to the saying “fallen leaves return to their roots.” In the 1950s and earlier, a small number of migrating salmons could still be seen in the Suifenhe, Tumen, Songhua, and upper Heilongjiang rivers in China. By the 1980s, they had become rare in the middle Songhua and Ussuri rivers. In recent years, they are only found in Fuyuan, China’s easternmost point, and the eggs produced there are particularly plump, perfectly matured, brightly colored, rich in flavor, and superior in quality to those from Japan and Russia. Not only are they in high demand domestically, but they also enjoy great prestige in the European market.

　　A four-year-old female salmon can produce 3,500–5,000 eggs. Each egg is as large as a soybean, bright and crystal-clear like a red agate, and rich in phosphates, calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin D. Every three eggs have the nutritional value equivalent to one chicken egg.

　　Fuyuan Salmon

　　Geographic Scope

　　Fuyuan County is located in the northeastern frontier of China, between 133°40′–135°5′20″ east longitude and 47°25′30″–48°27′40″ north latitude, covering a total area of 6,262.48 square kilometers. To the east and north, it borders Russia across the Heilongjiang and Ussuri rivers; to the south is Raohe, and to the west is Tongjiang. The main streams of the Heilongjiang and Ussuri rivers within the county stretch 268 kilometers, offering abundant fishery resources, including 105 species of fish from 72 genera and 21 families, among which 59 are economically important. Fuyuan County administers four towns directly — Haiqing Township, Zhuaji Town, Tongjiang Township, and Fuyuan Town — which encompass 26,753 hectares of water bodies that serve as crucial breeding and growing grounds for salmon. Annual salmon production exceeds 30 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Characteristics: Fuyuan salmon (autumn masu salmon) has a shape similar to a spindle; the body gradually swells from behind the head to the base of the dorsal fin. The head is laterally compressed, the snout is slightly protruding and curved. The mouth gape is large, resembling a bird’s beak. This is especially pronounced in males during the breeding season, with their jaws curving toward each other like pincers, preventing the upper and lower jaws from closing completely. Both jaws have a row of sharp, inwardly curved teeth, with the four pairs of front lower teeth being larger, while the rest are small. The adipose fin is small and positioned far back. The tail fin is deeply forked. When living in the ocean, its body color is silvery white, but upon entering rivers to spawn, its color becomes very vibrant — the back and sides turn yellowish-green before gradually darkening to a bluish-black, while the belly remains silver-white. There are 8–12 orange-red spawning bands along the sides, more intense in females and larger in males. The snout, jaw, gill covers, and belly are dark bluish-black or dusky gray, while the anal and pelvic fins are grayish-white. It is a fierce carnivorous fish. Its flesh is delicate and red. When cleaned and steamed, it offers a unique umami taste blending both sea and river flavors, leaving a memorable aftertaste. 2. Internal Quality Indicators: Fuyuan salmon is not only a large, premium native fish species in Heilongjiang Province but also one of China’s renowned freshwater delicacies. It contains ≥20% protein, ≥50 mg/kg calcium, ≥1,500 mg/kg phosphorus, ≥200 mg/kg magnesium, and unsaturated fatty acids make up over 80% of its total fatty acids. It also includes carbohydrates and various vitamins. Its roe is crystal clear, pearl-like, and rich in phosphates, calcium, and vitamins A and D, making it a highly regarded delicacy for banquets. When salted into “salmon caviar,” it becomes the internationally famous “red caviar,” which enjoys immense popularity among consumers in Europe and America. 3. Safety Requirements: Fuyuan salmon complies with GB/T18407.4-2001 Agricultural Product Safety Quality – Requirements for Pollution-Free Aquatic Product Growing Environments; the production environment follows NY5051-2001 Pollution-Free Food – Freshwater Aquaculture Water Quality Standards; and the final product adheres to NY5053-2005 Pollution-Free Food – Common Freshwater Fish Standards.