Hosted by China Agricultural University, the 2026 International Smart Fisheries and Aquaculture Conference kicked off in Beijing on August 17, 2026. Centered on the theme “Digital‑Driven, Smart‑Empowered, Forging a New Future for Global Fisheries”, the event brought together more than 400 top scientists, scholars and entrepreneurs at home and abroad to discuss technological collaborative innovation and industrial practices for global smart fisheries.

Distinguished guests delivered speeches at the opening ceremony, including Academician Chen Wei of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of China Agricultural University, Academician Bao Zhenmin of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Professor at Ocean University of China, and Dr. Manuel Barange, Assistant Director‑General and Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

During the opening ceremony, Professor Li Daoliang, Director of the National Digital Fisheries Innovation Center at China Agricultural University, officially unveiled the new‑generation fishery large‑scale model — Fanli Large‑scale Model 4.0. Boasting computing power with 397 billion parameters, the model comprehensively covers eight core dimensions of aquaculture: water quality, breeds, feed, health, operation, equipment, energy and economics. Incorporated with professional knowledge of 101 major cultured species, it builds the most complete vertical‑domain knowledge graph in the industry. Launched alongside the model is the world’s first open‑access smart fisheries dataset, containing 116,000 image frames and 698,000 task annotations, laying a solid data foundation for the development of global smart fisheries. Professor Li Daoliang announced that both the model and dataset are open to the whole world, welcoming scholars and enterprises globally to utilize, evaluate, co‑develop and share the resources.

Qingdao Qihang Fishing Cage Co., Ltd., a key enterprise in the marine engineering equipment sector, took an in‑depth part in the conference. At the sub‑forum themed Smart Production Integration System and Whole‑industry‑chain Coordinated Development, Hao Shixin, Technical Director of Qingdao Qihang Fishing Cage Co., Ltd., delivered a keynote report entitled Integrated Intelligent Cage Technology — Underpinning the Development of Aquaculture Industrial Chains. Addressing industry pain points such as fragmented equipment, difficult implementation of intelligent technologies and insufficient whole‑chain coordination, the report shared the company’s integrated intelligent cage solution. Integrating monitoring modules, automatic operation modules, ecological regulation modules and a smart management platform, the solution establishes a complete intelligent, automated and eco‑friendly aquaculture system adaptable to diverse farming scenarios, and delivers a standardized implementation pathway for the intelligent upgrading of the entire aquaculture industrial chain.

Three benchmark projects were presented in the report, fully verifying the stability and universality of the technology. The Baishan Lake Project in Jilin realizes coordinated development of intelligent management and ecological conservation for inland lake aquaculture. The CCCC Dandong Project solves challenges in long‑distance information transmission and inconvenient operation‑maintenance in far‑reaching seas via the integrated intelligent system. The Russia Cage Project marks the overseas roll‑out of complete sets of domestically‑produced intelligent aquaculture equipment and technical solutions, substantially cutting farming operation and maintenance costs.

From a global perspective, this conference serves not only as a showcase of cutting‑edge achievements in smart fisheries but also as an opportunity to build deep‑reaching consensus across the global industry. As a participant, Qingdao Qihang Fishing Cage Co., Ltd. has witnessed the transformative power of digitalization on traditional fisheries. From unlocking data factors and iterating intelligent equipment to shifting from isolated technical breakthroughs to systematic integration, the evolution path of global smart fisheries has become increasingly clear. The open dataset and Fanli Large‑scale Model 4.0 released globally at the conference provide high‑quality digital infrastructure for the industry, embody the spirit of open‑access and collaborative innovation, and equip enterprises with solid confidence and clear orientation to pursue technological innovation and integrate into the global industrial ecosystem.

Looking ahead, adhering to the development philosophy of “Deep‑sea Focus, Smart Leadership”, Qingdao Qihang Fishing Cage Co., Ltd. will keep concentrating on integrated intelligent cage technology, promote deep integration of intelligent equipment and digital platforms, and continuously improve the system’s capabilities in autonomous decision‑making and remote collaborative management and control. Meanwhile, the company will further strengthen collaboration with upstream and downstream partners along industrial chains, accelerate the commercialization of innovative outcomes across diversified scenarios — ranging from inland water bodies to far‑sea ranches, and from precision farming to full‑chain traceability. With more efficient, greener and smarter system solutions, we will contribute Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the transformation and upgrading of the global aquaculture industry.