The Rongcheng waters shimmer, as fishing boats return laden with the bounty of the deep sea. In the vast ocean, tuna, prized for its pristine growing environment and exceptional nutritional value, is hailed as "ocean gold." Leveraging its unique marine resources, Rongcheng uses technological innovation as its engine to build a full industrial chain system, from deep-sea fishing to sophisticated processing. Through whole-industry chain innovation, it transforms deep-sea resources into a "blue engine" for rural revitalization, writing a new chapter in modern fisheries along the Yellow Sea coast.

A Whole-Industry Chain Synergy Creates an "Ecosystem" for Rongcheng's Tuna Industry

Located at 37° North Latitude, Rongcheng is surrounded by the sea on three sides, with a coastline of nearly 500 kilometers, accounting for one-sixth of Shandong Province and one thirty-sixth of the country. Due to the unique confluence of currents and nutrient-rich waters, it fosters high-quality tuna resources. Relying on the gifts of the sea, Rongcheng City has always adhered to the new development concept of cultivating marine ranching and fisheries, building marine pastures and blue granaries. Rongcheng's aquatic product output has ranked first among county-level cities in China for over 40 consecutive years.

A single tuna "swims" to Rongcheng Shidao, connecting cold chain logistics bases, ultra-low temperature refrigeration, traditional processing upgrades, functional food research and development, high-value development of waste products, marine medical food and health product research and development, and other links, creating an upstream and downstream supporting, cutting-edge and resource docking, and backend and high-end biotechnology combined full industrial chain.

Relying on a modernized fishing fleet and employing longline fishing and purse seine techniques, the freshness of the raw materials is ensured. After fishing, immediate bleeding, gill removal, and evisceration are performed. The tuna is transported via a complete cold chain to the Rongcheng base and stored in a -60°C ultra-low temperature warehouse, ensuring quality stability. With advanced refrigeration and insulation equipment, the tuna maintains superior quality upon arrival at the processing plant.

Entering the sterile tuna processing workshop of Shandong Lanrun Group, a professional team performs a "golden section" on the tuna: workers skillfully skin, debone, and slice the tuna to produce tuna sashimi and tuna cans, forming a product matrix of sashimi, canned goods, and deep-processed foods. From high-end sashimi parts such as fish fillets, belly, medium belly, and lean meat, to byproducts such as fish skin and bones, refined separation is achieved.

Tuna processing waste such as bones and skin are used to extract collagen peptide through patented enzymatic hydrolysis technology, widely applied in health food and beauty products. Each ton of tuna can produce about 4 kilograms of collagen peptide powder, truly achieving "turning waste into treasure."

Value Extension Opens Up New Tracks for the Ocean Economy

As a leading tuna production and processing enterprise in Rongcheng, Shandong Lanrun Group has obtained multiple international certifications, including HACCP, ISO22000, ISO9001, BRCGS, OU Kosher, and the Dolphin Safe certification by EII. It has also obtained registration qualifications for the US and EU markets, and its products are exported to domestic, Japanese, Korean, and European and American markets. The company creates differentiated product matrices targeting different market characteristics.

Tuna canned products are rich in nutrition and have a rich, delicious flavor, earning them the title of "sea chicken." In addition to being favored by domestic seafood lovers, they are also particularly popular among people in Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, used in making sushi and sandwiches.

From the Yellow Sea coast to the world's dinner tables, from raw catches to technological products, Shandong Lanrun Group uses technology to paint a new picture of the ocean economy. As Rongcheng tuna crosses oceans to become a delicacy on plates, this "deep blue industrial chain" is demonstrating the evolution of China's ocean industry. On the new journey of "striving for strength towards the sea," reshaping the value of fisheries through full-chain innovation and using ecological wisdom to balance development and protection not only injects blue momentum into rural revitalization but also responds to the global sustainable development proposition with a Chinese solution. In this vast blue territory, a profound transformation of the ocean economy is surging, following the migratory trajectory of tuna, generating an intercontinental industrial wave.

Excerpt from "China Food Industry Magazine"