On the morning of March 5, FFRC held the kick-off meeting of the Jiangsu Seed Industry Revitalization Program, Zhang Jugui, Researcher of the Fisheries Division of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Li Chuande, Deputy Director of Zhenjiang Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affaires, Xu Gangchun, Deputy Director of FFRC, and Chen Huangen, Deputy Director of Jiangsu Fishery Technology Extension Center attended the meeting. Relevant leaders and experts from the aquatic technology management departments of Zhenjiang City and Dantu District, and more than 20 project team members from each undertaking unit participated in the meeting. The kick-off meeting was presided over by Ma Liang, Director of Zhenjiang Aquatic Technology Guidance Station.

At the meeting, Deputy Director Xu Gangchun first expressed his gratitude to the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs for its support to FFRC in taking the lead in undertaking the American shad aquaculture project. He reviewed the work carried out by FFRC on American shad aquaculture and put forward requirements for the implementation of the project and its future main focus. Deputy Director Li Chuande introduced the development status and planning of aquaculture industry in Zhenjiang.

Subsequently, Researcher Dong Zaijie introduced the project implementation plan in detail from several aspects, and the participating leaders and experts put forward opinions and suggestions on the project implementation plan. Xie Xudong, General Manager of Zhenjiang Xinrun Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., one of the project cooperation units, introduced the relevant projects carried out by the company in the early stage. Deputy Director Chen Huangen put forward ideas for project index setting and performance evaluation.

In his summary, Researcher Zhang Jugui emphasized that not only breakthroughs should be made in the selective breeding of high-quality varieties, but also achievements in base construction, personnel training and standard establishment; project undertaking units should clarify the responsibilities, city and county authorities should assume the supervision responsibilities, enterprises should play the main role in breeding and extension of the seed industry.

In the afternoon, leaders and experts went to Zhenjiang Xinrun Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. to inspect the progress of the project, inspected the breeding, aquaculture and breeding facilities, and checked the American shad seedlings cultivated this year.

The project of “Selective Breeding of New Anti-stress Strains of American shad and Breeding of High-Quality Seed on a large scale”, which was selected into the Jiangsu Seed Industry Revitalization Program, was undertaken by FFRC, cooperatively participated by Jiangsu Fishery Technology Extension Center and Zhenjiang Xinrun Agricultural Development Co., Ltd.. (Project No.: JBGS [2021] 131)