China expands cold-water fish farming in landlocked Xinjiang.
Cold-water aquaculture is expanding in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where farms in Nilka County are producing thousands of tonnes of trout far from the sea.
Xinjiang Tianyun Organic Agriculture Co. operates facilities fed by glacial meltwater from the Tianshan Mountains, where temperatures of 8–12°C provide suitable conditions for farming salmonid species.
The company reported output of more than 5,000 tonnes in the first half of 2025, a 30 percent increase year-on-year, with annual capacity targeted at 12,000 tonnes, according to the Bastille Post.
The company has invested in automated feeding systems, underwater cleaning robots and water quality monitoring, supported by more than RMB 110 million ($15.1 million/€13.9 million) in government funding and subsidies. Around 800 people are now employed at the site, with staff drawn from a range of ethnic backgrounds in the region.
Xinjiang Tianyun has also expanded into value-added products including smoked fish, fish cakes, oil and bone powder to meet growing consumer demand.
While described locally as “salmon,” production is primarily based on trout. The development reflects China’s wider effort to boost domestic supply of premium cold-water fish and reduce reliance on imports.
