At Sanmen Donghang Aquaculture Seedling Technology Co in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, blue crabs are monitored by "digital eyes" that relay real-time updates to an "AI intelligence brain" every five minutes and notify manager Wang Jie of any abnormalities.

"The system is still in the testing phase. After operations are fully up and running, 10,000 blue crabs will be under monitoring and feeding by AI robots," said Wang.

The Donghang Company is located in the Fenghuang Mountain Farm that has been transformed into a modern agricultural hub named Fenghuang Future Valley. The region's focus on technological aquaculture has attracted enterprises pioneering advancements in the field.

The Future Valley's technological aquaculture models are seen as keys to overcoming the hurdles Sanmen has faced in conventional marine farming and driving the county's marine aquaculture sector forward. The county has attracted significant projects, including a breeding center, a smart crab aquaculture center, and a rice breeding center.

Sanmen has also formed collaborations with academic institutions on various aspects of aquaculture to enhance productivity, with plans for a "marine ranch" to explore new possibilities in marine aquaculture, said Shu Jun, director of the bureau of agriculture and rural affairs in Sanmen.