Marine Ranching: Paving the way for a sustainable blue granary

The oceans, teeming with life, have long been a crucial source of sustenance. Abundant in fish and salt and easily accessible by boat, the ocean has not only facilitated trade and communication but also served as a reliable source of food for human beings. As terrestrial agriculture grapples with challenges such as land degradation, water scarcity, and ecological damage, attention is increasingly turning to the ocean. As the Earth's largest ecosystem, the ocean hosts a wealth of resources, particularly in terms of biodiversity. China, an exploiting pioneer of marine resources, has emerged as the world's leading provider of aquaculture products, with two-thirds of its seafood coming from aquaculture. China's shift from traditional fishing to systematic marine agriculture offers a new model for the global community. Central to this strategic shift is the concept of “Marine Ranching,” which views the ocean as a vast, ecologically managed farm. Successfully implementing this concept is crucial for ensuring food security, protecting ecological equilibrium, and driving economic progress. It also presents some innovative opportunities to explore the “Greater Food” approach, utilizing new spaces, methods, and technologies.

However, “Marine Ranching” goes beyond simply transferring terrestrial farming practices to marine environments. It represents the innovative development of aquatic production models based on a comprehensive understanding and protection of the marine ecology. This encompasses systems for breeding high-quality species, implementing sustainable farming practices, disease prevention and control, as well as advancements in pre and postproduction processing and quality management. The continuous, open, and intricate nature of marine ecosystems presents challenges in their management and monitoring. Ensuring the reasonable scale, ecological capacity, balance, and biological health of “Marine Ranching” across vast ocean areas demands extensive technological development and exploratory practice. Furthermore, the development of “Marine Ranching” is a multidisciplinary and multifaceted challenge, requiring interdisciplinary collaboration in aquatic biology, ecology, environmental science, biotechnology, engineering equipment, and information technology. Additionally, we must promote open integration, sharing, and application of data throughout the entire fishery industry chain, with the goal of achieving a harmonious balance among economy, ecological environment, and social benefits.

This special issue on “Marine Ranching” aims to serve as a platform for scholarly exchange in this field, facilitating the dissemination of the latest developments, discoveries, technological innovations, and perspectives in marine agro-pastoral research. Drawing on these academic studies, we can continuously refine related technologies and establish a scientific, efficient, and sustainable blue granary production system. Globally, nations encounter similar challenges in utilizing and safeguarding marine resources, and collaborative research and cooperation will undoubtedly bring greater wisdom and strength in addressing these issues.

In conclusion, the research and development of “Marine Ranching” is a crucial strategy for exploring the sustainable use of marine resources, and is uniquely and irreplaceably valuable for promoting a harmonious coexistence between humanity and the oceans. Marine Ranching represents a scientific research focus, as well as a commitment to food security and ecological responsibility. With ongoing technological advancements and deepening research, it is poised to bring about a more sustainable and prosperous future for both China and the other of the world.

Zhenmin Bao: Conceptualization (lead); writing – original draft (lead).

The author declares no conflicts of interest.