Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute

What Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute does

Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute (YSFRI, 黄海水产研究所) is a state-owned public research institute founded in the 1940s under the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences (CAFS), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China. Headquartered in Qingdao, Shandong Province, YSFRI is one of China's earliest comprehensive marine fishery research institutions, organized into ten specialized research laboratories spanning fishery resources and ecosystem dynamics, marine aquaculture ecology, germplasm engineering, aquatic biotechnology and genomics, fish farming and facility fisheries, aquatic animal disease control and molecular pathology, fisheries environment and biological restoration, aquatic product quality and safety, food engineering and nutrition, and marine product resources and enzyme engineering.

YSFRI's core technology stack centers on marine fishery biological germplasm preservation, aquaculture genetics and breeding, fish disease prevention and control, seafood processing and nutrition, and marine ecosystem research. Its most significant technical assets include China's first and largest National Marine Fishery Biological Germplasm Resource Bank (capacity for ~340,000 samples across five specialized repositories), the domestically-developed 鱼芯1号 fish anti-disease breeding gene chip for genomic selection breeding (developed by academician Chen Songlin's team), SPF shrimp breeding technology, and the first decoding of fish genomes including half-smooth tongue sole (半滑舌鳎). YSFRI also leads development of national and ISO standards for marine products (kelp, dried sea cucumber grading, frozen breaded shrimp, paralytic shellfish toxins testing).

YSFRI's business model is government-funded research with diversified revenue streams including Ministry of Agriculture research grants, technology transfer and licensing of breeding technologies to aquaculture enterprises (e.g., Bangpu Seed Technology, Tianyuan Aquatic), technical consultation and achievement-promotion services, and international cooperation programs through FAO partnerships. Customer segments are vertical: government fisheries management agencies (primary), aquaculture enterprises (primary), and research institutions/universities (secondary). The institute does not operate as a commercial entity and does not publicly disclose revenue.

Name

Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute

Legal name

黄海水产研究所

Website

https://ysfri.ac.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute is a state-owned Chinese marine fishery research institute under CAFS, conducting aquaculture genetics, fish disease control, germplasm preservation, and seafood standards work for government agencies and aquaculture enterprises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Fisheries Research

NAICS

Aquaculture (1125), Shellfish Farming (112512), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (3117)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine Shellfish Farming (e.g., oysters, mussels, clams) (AFAEAAAB)

Keywords

• Marine fisheries research
• Aquaculture genetics breeding
• Aquatic germplasm preservation
• Fish disease control
• Seafood quality standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Qingdao Shi

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Primary funding from Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, national research programs, and provincial government research grants for fisheries research
2. Technology Transfer and Licensing: Revenue generated from licensing breeding technologies, disease prevention methods, and processing technologies to fishery enterprises
3. Technology Consultation Services: Fees from technical consulting and achievement promotion services to aquaculture companies and government agencies

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute (YSFRI) is a state-owned comprehensive marine fisheries research institution under the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences. It conducts fundamental and applied research across ten specialized laboratories covering fishery resources, marine aquaculture ecology, germplasm engineering, aquatic biotechnology and genomics, fish farming, disease control, environmental restoration, aquatic product quality and safety, food engineering, and marine enzyme engineering. It also develops national and international standards for aquatic products and operates China's largest marine fisheries biological germplasm resource bank.

Product overview

Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute operates as a comprehensive marine fisheries research institution under the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences. The institute conducts research across ten specialized laboratories covering the full aquaculture value chain: fishery resources, marine aquaculture ecology, germplasm engineering, aquatic biotechnology and genomics, fish farming and facilities, disease control, environmental restoration, product quality and safety, food engineering, and marine enzyme engineering. The research infrastructure includes the National Marine Fisheries Biological Germplasm Resource Bank (the largest of its kind in China with five specialized repositories), a fleet of research vessels ('Beidou', 'Zhongyuke 101', 'Zhongyuke 102', 'Lanhai 101'), a large-scale scientific instrument platform, and a provincial key laboratory. Key technology products include the domestically-developed '鱼芯1号' fish gene chip for genomic breeding selection. The institute also develops national and industry standards for aquatic products and serves as a reference laboratory for the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Marine Fisheries Biological Germplasm Resource Bank (国家海洋渔业生物种质资源库)
• Fish Gene Chip 'Yu Xin 1' (鱼芯1号)
• National Standards for Aquaculture Products (Seaweed, Dried Sea Cucumber Grade Specifications, Quick-Frozen Breaded Shrimp)
• Technology Transfer and Consultation Services
• Marine Fishery Research Vessels (Beidou, Zhongyuke 101, Zhongyuke 102, Lanhai 101)

Quantifiable outcome

• South American white shrimp breeding cost reduced by 60%
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Korea Marine Fisheries AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2022Joint China-Korea stock enhancement activities conducted annually since 2018, releasing various economic species including small yellow croaker, swimming crab, and flatfish seedlings into the Yellow Sea
• FAO APFIC (Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2021Director Jin Xianshi elected as APFIC Chair 2021-2023, representing China in leading Asia-Pacific fisheries cooperation
• Silk Road Countries Aquaculture International Forum PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 September 2019Co-organized Silk Road Countries Aquaculture International Forum with UN FAO, WOAH, NACA, and 15+ countries; established International Aquaculture Technology and Industry Development Alliance
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four FAO reference centers globally for aquatic animal health; hosts international training programs for developing countries on aquaculture biosecurity
• Norway Marine Research InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner40 years of bilateral fishery science and technology cooperation including joint seminars, researcher exchanges, and collaborative research projects
• Bangpu Seed Technology Co. (邦普种业科技有限公司)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry-university-research cooperation for South American white shrimp breeding, establishing joint laboratory and breeding base
• Shandong Province Oceanic and Fishery DepartmentsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation in marine ranching construction, fishery resource restoration, and technical services
• Weihai City GovernmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation agreement for offshore aquaculture planning and marine fishery development

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute: CAFS cold-water fisheries institute conducting aquaculture and cold-water species breeding research. Comparable as a CAFS-affiliated fisheries research institute with similar lab organization and government research/technology transfer mission.
• Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences: CAS freshwater biology and aquaculture research institute with strong fish genetics and aquaculture programs. Highly comparable in aquatic biology research, genetic breeding technology development, and government research mandate, though focused on freshwater rather than marine.
• South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute: Another sister CAFS institute covering South China Sea fisheries, marine aquaculture, and tropical species breeding. Comparable scope (multi-laboratory fisheries research institute), governance (government state-owned), and revenue model (government funding plus technology transfer).
• East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute: A sister institute under the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences focused on East China Sea fisheries research, aquaculture, and resource management. Directly comparable as a peer CAFS fisheries research institute with similar lab structure, government funding model, and aquaculture/breeding technology mandate.
• Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute: CAFS freshwater fisheries research institute with comparable multi-laboratory structure covering aquaculture, genetic breeding, and disease control. Peer in governance, funding model, and aquaculture research mandate, though focused on freshwater rather than marine species.

Broad incumbents

• Ocean University of China: Leading Chinese marine and fisheries university with major aquaculture and marine biology programs. Comparable as a top-tier Chinese fisheries research and training institution; overlaps in aquaculture breeding, marine biology, and doctoral talent production.
• Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences: Premier Chinese marine science research institute covering oceanography, marine biology, and aquaculture. Comparable in marine biological research scale and government-backed science mandate, but broader in scope (physical oceanography, marine chemistry) and CAS-affiliated rather than CAFS.
• Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (Havforskningsinstituttet): Norway's national marine fisheries research institute and YSFRI's 40-year bilateral cooperation partner. Comparable as a comprehensive national fisheries research institute with similar aquaculture, marine resource assessment, and seafood quality programs; larger in commercial aquaculture research scale.
• NOAA Fisheries (National Marine Fisheries Service): U.S. federal agency responsible for marine fisheries management and research. Comparable as a government-backed marine fisheries research and resource management authority with regulatory authority, though primarily focused on wild fisheries management rather than aquaculture.

Emerging players

• WorldFish (CGIAR): International agricultural research center focused on aquatic food systems in developing countries. Comparable in aquaculture genetics, breeding technology development, and international development partnerships, though operating globally rather than as a single national institute.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute