Yellow croaker makes a splash

The race to keep it fresh

Once a fish leaves the sea cage, Chen Yubin starts thinking about time.

Chen is chairman of Fujian Hanteng Fishery Co, which supplies large yellow croaker to supermarkets and fresh-food chains, traditional markets and hotel groups.

The company sells across China, with East China accounting for its biggest market.

"Our customers do not all want the same thing," he says.

Some still want live fish, while others want fish that have already been cleaned and frozen and can be taken home for easy cooking.

Live large yellow croaker can be transported by specialized trucks to cities including Shenzhen and Guangzhou in Guangdong province, as well as Xiamen and Fuzhou in Fujian. But keeping fish alive during a long journey requires specialized transport, and losses can increase.

That is why about 70 percent of Hanteng's annual sales are frozen fish, Chen says.

"If we can get it to consumers within 24 hours, the freshness is still very good, while the cost is much lower," he says.

Chen says the company's sales have grown by about 30 to 50 percent a year since 2021.

Demand is relatively steady through the year, but traditional festivals can quickly change the numbers.

Sales can reach three to five times normal levels in the days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, while Spring Festival and Dragon Boat Festival also bring peaks, he says.

The company is now establishing a distribution warehouse in East China to shorten the journey further.

The fish is still most familiar in coastal parts of China, where a whole steamed or braised fish is often placed at the center of a family meal.