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This is the video that got me introduced (SCMP). Then I've read this article (in Chinese, but you can translate it).

It's absolutely fascinating. This is all because China is trying to improve the health of its coastal waters and rivers, which until a few years ago were contaminated beyond what's sustainable due to their quickly developing aquaculture industry. Now they've set quotas on how many fish can be farmed to protect the carrying capacity of their waters. As a result, they've started to import a lot more fish and fish prices have increased. Ventures like these are there to alleviate that.

The deep seas are like deserts: devoid of life. While fish farming introduces pollutants (fish excrement and left-over food) into the water that chokes up lakes/coasts/rivers, these extra nutrients cause algal blooms that kill the native fish. This issue is however entirely none existent in the deep seas as those places have such a deficit of nutrients that their pollutants will actually foster and improve the carrying capacity of the places wherever these large ships decide to anchor.

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CountryBreakfast@lemmygrad.ml ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Thanks for sharing. Sounds really innovative.
roastpotatothief@lemmy.ml ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
It's a great thing to start thinking about. We are running out of food. This kind of new industry and more like it will be needed very soon. If it becomes cheap fast, wild fish might not even go extinct.

It will also lead to monoculture. Only one fish species will be farmed at large scale. And probably one business will control the entire industry, so they will have huge power over the good supply.

And the extra nutrients, they are fertiliser, at a time when the world is running out of fertiliser. They could be growing fish food with it, in tanks exposed to sunlight.
- Weyland@lemmygrad.ml ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  
  And probably one business will control the entire industry, so it will have huge power over the food supply.
  
  Luckily we're talking about China and not the USA. Let's count our lucky stars that Capitalists don't innovate to the extent that socialists do. Otherwise, they would've already automated and enslaved the human race.
  
  We can produce fertilizers renewably by taking the resources for literal air and waste, the problem is that the cost of doing so is preventive. Just like we can mine e-waste for precious metals; we don't. Because recycling, just like renewable energy in the form of solar/wind, is democratic in how scalable it is. I.e. it doesn't allow for the monopolistic agglomeration of resources and thus the established capitalist class won't invest in these new technologies on their own accord.
  
  China wants to be resource independent so they're investing in these new fields, but it will take some time before the fruits of their labour will show (economically viable) results. These technologies are essential if we want to afford everyone the same level of development the West enjoys.
  - roastpotatothief@lemmy.ml ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I guess so. Thanks.
    
    Just one thing. Fertiliser is a scarce non renewable resource. Not many realise that. I can find you a good explanation if you're interested.
    
    Weyland@lemmygrad.ml ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I thought nitrogen-based fertilizers were renewable?
    
    For nitrogen-based fertilizers, the largest product group, the process starts by mixing nitrogen from the air with hydrogen from natural gas at high temperature and pressure to create ammonia. Approximately 60% of the natural gas is used as raw material, with the remainder employed to power the synthesis process.
    
    The ammonia is used to make nitric acid, with which it is then mixed to produce nitrate fertilizers such as ammonium nitrate (AN). Ammonia may also be mixed with liquid carbon dioxide to create urea. Both these products can be further mixed together with water to form UAN (urea ammonium nitrate) solution.
    
    I don't see how any of these steps couldn't be fabricated without the use of non-reneweable resources.
    
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VictimOfReligion@lemmygrad.ml ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
This is a brilliant idea! I love it! (except for the part that it's a farm for consuming fish, but that's another issue)
- Weyland@lemmygrad.ml ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Just like how integrating into the capitalist system is a necessary evil, so is fish farming to protect our environment. I too can't wait until we can put meat/fish-based protein on people's plates without there ever having to sacrifice the life of a conscious being.
  - roastpotatothief@lemmy.ml ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    About that. Fish or meat based protein. Does it taste good? Will people eat it? Or will livestock eat it, is that the purpose? Of not, why is it better than existing sources of protein?
    
    Weyland@lemmygrad.ml ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I mean there is lab-grown meat. Once lab-grown meat gets adopted we can slowly turn away from the idea of "meat" being derived from animals and further abstract it. E.g. we could take the genetic code that allows for the creation of an animal's muscles, extract the most basic building blocks that create the texture and nutrients, change it, put that code into bacteria and literally have create a patty/slab of "meat" that has the form and thickness of a tortilla, but the flavour profile of whichever animals you can think of.
    
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  - VictimOfReligion@lemmygrad.ml ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Well, TECHNICALLY we can do it already, or in some years, but people ain't not enough willing...
    
    Weyland@lemmygrad.ml ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Yeah ... if there is one thing I know for sure it's that any attempt at removing all meat from the Chinese diet is probably going to result in a colour revolution.
    
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