Fishermen on Land: How Land-Based Aquaculture is Reshaping the Relationship Between Humans and Fish

Over the past millennia, human fishing methods have undergone a long evolution, from bare hands to harpoons, from nets to fishing boats. Today, an even more profound transformation is quietly taking place on land—the moment we insert the hose of a fish pump into the land-based aquaculture pond, the relationship between fishermen and fish is completely rewritten.

From Nomadic to Settled: Fishermen on Land

Stepping into a modern land-based aquaculture workshop, you'll notice an interesting phenomenon: you'll hardly see the tanned, fish-smelling workers of traditional fish farms. Instead, you'll find technicians sitting in control rooms monitoring screens, and lab technicians in white coats conducting water quality tests.

The widespread use of automated equipment such as fish pumps is changing the fate of those working in the fishing industry.

“Before, fishing at sea meant being away for ten days to half a month at a time, neglecting my elderly parents and children, and always facing the risk of rough seas,” said Mr. Zhang, a former traditional fisherman who transitioned to managing a land-based aquaculture farm. “Now it’s much better. I commute to get off work by electric bike every day, on time. Although I’m still raising fish, it feels no different from working in a factory.”

Fish pumps have freed him from the arduous task of net pulling, automatic feeders eliminate the need to get up in the middle of the night to feed the fish, and intelligent monitoring systems have transformed his approach from “guessing based on experience” to “data-driven farming.” This fisherman, once “dependent on the weather,” is now an industrial worker controlling the entire recirculating aquaculture system.

The significance of this transformation goes far beyond an individual career change. It symbolizes the end and rebirth of a way of life—for thousands of years, fishing has been accompanied by nomadic lifestyles, risks, and unpredictability; today, land-based aquaculture allows fishermen to truly “come ashore,” enjoying stable income, regular schedules, controllable risks, and nights spent with their families.

From Hunting to Cultivation: A New Contract Between Humans and Fish

If the fish pump symbolizes a revolution in fishing methods, then the entire land-based aquaculture system represents the establishment of a completely new relationship between humans and animals.

In traditional thinking, fish are "prey." When we go out to sea to fish, it's essentially a game against nature—we don't know where the fish are, how many we can catch, or what struggles and injuries the fish will endure.

But in land-based aquaculture facilities, fish become meticulously cared-for "cultivation subjects." Every drop of water is purified, every grain of feed is precisely calculated, and every fish has the most suitable growth environment. The fish pump even spares the fish from violent struggles and collisions in their final moments—they gently slide into the harvesting pipes with the water flow, the whole process calm and swift.

This shift in relationship reflects a universal law in the evolution of human civilization: from gathering and hunting to agriculture and animal husbandry, each leap in production methods is accompanied by a deeper understanding and a more responsible attitude towards nature. We are no longer merely takers from nature, but are beginning to play the role of ecosystem managers.

From the Distant to the Near: Connecting Cities and Villages

Another fascinating aspect of land-based aquaculture is its ability to be built anywhere—on the outskirts of cities, in the heart of deserts, and in frigid regions. This means that fresh seafood can, for the first time, truly "enter" inland cities.

In major cities far from the ocean, such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengdu, people can already enjoy live fish harvested that same day. Transportation distances have been reduced from thousands of kilometers to tens of kilometers, carbon emissions have been significantly reduced, while freshness has been enhanced like never before. Highly efficient harvesting equipment, such as fish pumps, makes this "direct from farm" possible—the fish seamlessly transitions from the aquaculture pond to the transport vehicle and finally to the consumer's table.

This change is quietly reshaping the way cities and villages connect. Traditional fishing villages are often located in remote coastal or lake areas, while land-based aquaculture allows "fishing villages" to appear on the outskirts of cities. Some abandoned industrial plants have been transformed into modern aquaculture workshops, creating new jobs for the local area; agricultural land around some cities has also been revitalized by high-density aquaculture.

The Future: When Fish Farming Becomes a "Craft"

With continuous technological advancements, the barriers to entry for land-based aquaculture are decreasing. Modular aquaculture systems, highly automated equipment, and standardized operating procedures are allowing more and more people to enter the industry—even those with no prior fishing experience.

In the Netherlands, some abandoned air-raid shelters have been transformed into vertical farms combining mushroom cultivation and fish farming; in the United States, small-scale land-based fish farming systems have appeared on rooftops in some cities; in China, young people returning to their hometowns to start businesses are combining recirculating aquaculture systems with leisure agriculture, creating entirely new business models.

The fish pump is no longer just a simple machine; it has become a symbol—a symbol that traditional fisheries are evolving towards a more controllable, efficient, and humane direction. In this process, the relationship between people and fish, people and land, and even people and food are being redefined.

Perhaps in the near future, when we savor a delicious fish, we won't think about where it was caught, but rather about the environment in which it was carefully raised. And the person who "raised" it might be sitting in a bright control room, watching the data flash on the screen, a satisfied smile on their face.

That's a fisherman who has come ashore, a modern fisherman who has mastered new skills.