Nanji Yellow Croaker

Nanji Yellow Croaker

　　Nanji Yellow Croaker is a specialty of Nanji Island in Pingyang County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province. The yellow croaker from Pingyang’s Nanji Island boasts firm, delicious flesh and an exceptional taste, far surpassing that of traditionally farmed yellow croakers from shallow coastal waters.

　　Yellow croaker has long been a favorite dish among Wenzhou residents and can be considered a symbol of Pingyang’s dining culture. It is indispensable at festive gatherings and banquets. However, due to overfishing in recent years, wild yellow croakers have become extremely rare. Fortunately, the deep-sea aquaculture efforts of Pingyang County Nanji Island Development Co., Ltd. have been successful in recent years, revitalizing the yellow croaker population. This once-scarce fish has returned to dining tables and is now widely available, becoming an eco-marine brand for Pingyang County.

　　Nanji has long been known as the home of yellow croaker. As early as 1954, the State Council designated Nanji Island as a protected spawning ground for yellow croaker. Starting in 2000, Pingyang County Nanji Island Development Co., Ltd. began conducting deep-sea ecological farming trials for yellow croaker on Nanji Island. In 2004, the company’s ecologically farmed yellow croaker from Nanji Island was certified by the Monitoring and Inspection Center of the State Environmental Protection Administration and awarded the “Organic Fish” label. It became the first certified organic seafood product in China, marking it with a national-level brand identity. It is understood that the ecological yellow croaker from Nanji Island is raised using advanced deep-sea cage farming techniques, strictly adhering to organic fish farming standards. A comprehensive operational procedure—from harvesting and temporary storage to processing and sales—has been established to ensure the ecological quality of the product. As a result, the fish has firm, delicious flesh and an exceptional taste, far surpassing that of traditionally farmed yellow croakers from shallow coastal waters. Over the years, the Nanji Island-branded ecological yellow croaker has been listed as a Zhejiang Provincial Famous Product and a Zhejiang Provincial Premium Agricultural Product. It has also become a well-known trademark and one of the first batch of recognized well-known goods in Wenzhou. It has been recognized by the State Administration for Market Regulation as a “Geographical Indication Registered Product,” certified by OFDC as China’s first organic sea fish, and included in the national list of pollution-free agricultural products. It has won the Best-Selling Award at the China International Agricultural Products Fair for several consecutive years, as well as the Gold Award at the Zhejiang Agricultural Expo and the Gold Award at the Wenzhou Agricultural Trade Fair for two consecutive sessions.

　　In recent years, the live “Nanji Island” ecological yellow croaker has gradually gained market traction. Beyond the local market, it has entered more than 160 high-end hotels in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Jiaxing. Currently, the company focuses on the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai market, establishing agency sales points and setting up dedicated sales counters in over 130 outlets of major supermarkets including Hangzhou RT-Mart, CenturyMart, Shenzhen Wal-Mart, Beijing Hualian, and Shanghai No.1 Food. At its peak, the ecological yellow croaker sold up to 5,000 fish per day. The company has set a unified wholesale price of 98 RMB per jin (500g) and, through scientific research, resolved transportation challenges—allowing the yellow croaker to be delivered live “swimming” into hotels.

　　While providing a delicious treat, Nanji Yellow Croaker has also directly helped create job opportunities and reemployment for nearly 1,000 workers in Pingyang County, with indirect benefits extending to thousands more. By introducing large-scale anti-wave deep-sea cage farming demonstrations, the company has also encouraged local fishermen to transition from traditional fishing methods to modern aquaculture, protecting marine resources while enabling fishermen to earn higher returns than with conventional practices. This shift has also spurred growth in related sectors such as intermediate cultivation and feed production, leading to occupational transitions for thousands of local fishermen. Additionally, the company has promoted the Nanji Island brand through various media channels—including television, newspapers, magazines—and by establishing exhibition halls and franchise agent mechanisms. As the Nanji Island brand gains increasing recognition, it has driven the development of related industries and generated substantial economic benefits.