Zhejiang Institute of Freshwater Fisheries (ZIFF) was established in April, 1952.It is one of the most outstanding state-owned provincial research Institutions in freshwater fisheries in China. ZIFF is located in the south suburb of HuZhou Municipality, in the northern Zhejiang. The headquarter occupies an area of 1.6 hectares.

Two main buildings, constructed to house the headquarter of ZIFF, have approximately 3160 square meters of floor space. It houses offices for staff, various research Laboratories, library, reading room, specimen exhibition room and administrative offices. In addition, a workshop for producing fish medicines is established behind the main buildings to provide technical service for the prevention and control of fish diseases.

Field facilities of ZIFF are located on the Experimental Station approximately 200 metes northwest of the headquarter. Constructed on the fisheries research unit are 60 earthen ponds comprising approximately 4.8 hectares of water. The ponds range in size from 0.04 hectare to 0.5 hectare. Water is pumped from the river on the north side of the station. Most of the ponds are available for various research projects. Some of the ponds are managed as a commercial fish farm. A complete set of hatchery facilities and 1300 square meters of newly-constructed greenhouses are main cultivated fish, river crab and Macrobrachium rosenbergii, respectively.

Recently, a new station named Zhejiang South Tai Lake Freshwater Fish Breeding Co., Ltd. has been established in the north suburb of Huzhou Municipality, to expand the breeding capacity of freshwater fish and shrimp.

Over 18 different species of fish and crustacean are available for research, development and extension. Included are: silver, bighead, black and grass carp; crucian carp, common carp, blunted-snout bream; mandarin fish, largemouth bass, Tilapia, clossoma sp; river crab, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, macorbrachium nipponense, pacu (Piaracrus mesopotamicus). Curimabata (Prochiulodus scrofa), large mouth buffalo, hybrid striped bass and Red claw crayfish etc.

Among more than 96 staff at present, 60 are professional researchers, including 22 senior researchers and 27 middle-level researchers. The research staff is a highly qualified group of specialists. Many have achieved national recognition. More than one-third of them have experience in aquaculture overseas. Main areas of research are: Breeding Fish Nutrition Fish Diseases Fish, Crustacean Production Pond Fisheries Reservoir Fisheries Aquatic Environment.

The research, development and extension activities sponsored by ZIFF are mainly funded from four channels; Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Science and Technology and Zhejiang Provincial Ocean and Fisheries Bureau. Since the founding of the Institute, over 52 research achievements have been awarded by the state, the Ministry of Agriculture and Provincial Government. Among them, the most outstanding contributions are: “Studies on the immunological prevention and control of Haemorrhage of grass carp”, “Artificial breeding of river crab”, “Artificial propagation of the main cultivated Chinese carp”, “Formulated pellets and additives for the main Chinese carps”, “Intensive Pond fish culture technique”, “Vaccination of motile aeromonads septicemia in the main cultivated fish” etc.

ZIFF has long been open to the foreign countries. It has ever successively dispatched fisheries experts to Albania, Cuba, Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, Brazil, Sudan and other countries for providing breeding and pond fish culture techniques. Recently, friendly visit of international fisheries delegations, academic exchange and technical training have also been conducted actively. The countries concerned include U.S.A, U.K., France, Turkey, Poland, Japan, Thailand, Iran, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Mexico etc. We warmly and sincerely welcome governments, organizations and enterprise all over the world to further develop a wider cooperation on the basis of mutual benefits. And we are willing to apply the Chinese know-how and forces to make contributions to the fisheries development of the world.