The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 474: Chapter 474: On the News

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”That’s right! As long as I’m still fishing, I’ll release fish fry. I’ll do it every year, and I’ll increase the number each year. I don’t know about others, but this is what I want to do.”

Chen Yupeng looked at her with admiration. ”I understand. I’ll report this for you. When the time comes, a high-ranking city official might come.”

Liang Xiaoyu asked, ”So, does this mean Xiao Rui will be on the Shencheng news?”

Chen Yupeng said with a smile, ”She’ll definitely be on the Shencheng news, and she might even make bigger headlines. This is a very meaningful event. It’s perfectly in line with our current policies on marine resource utilization and development.”

Liang Xiaoyu asked excitedly, ”Could it be CCTV News?”

Chen Yupeng just smiled. ”It’s too soon to say, and that’s not something for us to think about. You just focus on handling the fish fry. Since the target is mid-June, I’ll go ahead and report it to my superiors.”

”Then I’ll be counting on you,” Han Xiaorui said graciously. Her cooperation with Chen Yupeng was mutually beneficial.

When Leader Wang received Chen Yupeng’s report, he was also shocked. ”A million fry is no small number.”

Chen Yupeng blinked. ”Leader, a million is a lot, more than enough for our local media. But if a national outlet like CCTV gets involved, shouldn’t we add some more?”

Leader Wang was startled. ”Would President Han agree to increase it?”

Chen Yupeng shook his head. ”President Han said that releasing more than a million would impact her operations and plans for expansion. We can’t buy more fry from Jinshan Bay, but there are other fish farms. We could apply for funding to purchase another batch from them.”

”After all, if a private company takes the lead on this, our department gets less credit. But if *we* can secure funding to purchase and release fish fry, then the achievement will belong to our unit—or even the entire Shencheng maritime affairs department.”

Leader Wang’s eyes lit up when he heard this. ”Yes! That’s an excellent suggestion! Xiao Chen, you can head back for now. I’ll figure something out.”

Chen Yupeng didn’t have the authority, but his leader did.

After Leader Wang coordinated with his own superiors, he actually managed to secure funds to purchase another million fish fry from other farms, all to be released on the same day.

As expected, a release of this magnitude drew significant attention from the higher-ups after it was reported.

The authorities planned to arrange for corresponding media coverage based on the event’s schedule.

The stage was set. Chen Yupeng wasn’t worried about Han Xiaorui’s fish fry, but he had his doubts about the ones from the other farms.

Fortunately, it was a joint public-private venture, so communication went smoothly enough. This was a major event for the entire Shencheng maritime department, so none of them dared to be negligent.

This was a huge event and a perfect model for future initiatives.

Han Xiaorui was very calm. She wasn’t doing this for personal gain, but purely for peace of mind, for the ocean she so dearly loved.

She harvested delicious food from the sea and exchanged it for great wealth; it was the sea that had made her life so much better.

Her own ability was limited, but she wanted to do what she could for the sea.

Han Xiaorui wasn’t nervous, but Professor Wang and Professor Li were. For the following two weeks, they were almost constantly at the fish fry hatchery, ensuring the fry were in perfect condition.

Chen Yupeng was in charge of communicating with Han Xiaorui, and they finally decided on June 16th, a bright and pleasant day suitable for the release.

Not only did the local TV station send a crew, but CCTV News did as well.

The release event was a massive affair.

Han Xiaorui, as a representative from the private sector, was interviewed.

Han Xiaorui was already beautiful, and today she had specially dressed up, making her even more striking.

The cameras captured plenty of footage of the release: small fish swimming into the ocean, bound for a vaster world.

It was a moment that highlighted the preciousness of life and reflected humanity’s actions and ideals concerning the sustainable development of the ocean.

It was a reminder not to overfish the sea, especially the young. Only by catching the large and releasing the small could there be sustainable development.

Draining the pond to catch all the fish ultimately means humanity will be the one to suffer the consequences.

After the release ended, Director Song was about to leave when he suddenly remembered that Jinshan Bay Ornamental Fish Farm was a star performer in earning foreign currency!

”Journalist Zhou, this is the Jinshan Bay Ornamental Fish Farm. It earns fifty million US dollars in foreign exchange for Shencheng every year,” Director Song said with pride, also wanting to give Han Xiaorui some publicity.

Journalist Zhou was stunned. Let alone fifty million US dollars, even fifty million RMB would be a huge sum of money.

”Does ’ornamental fish’ mean goldfish?” Journalist Zhou asked.

Director Song looked at Han Xiaorui. ”This is Comrade Han, the owner of this ornamental fish farm. She knows more. Let her explain it to you.”

Han Xiaorui replied, ”Thank you, Director Song. Journalist Zhou, ornamental fish are divided into two main categories: saltwater and freshwater. These two categories are then further divided into coldwater and tropical ornamental fish.”

”Goldfish are a type of freshwater ornamental fish. We have a premium variety called the Panda Butterfly Tail, which commands a very high export price and has a very high added value...”

Director Song had other matters to attend to and left.

Journalist Zhou didn’t leave. Instead, he followed Han Xiaorui, put on a sterilized suit, and entered the ornamental fish farm with her.

Here, Journalist Zhou felt as if he had entered an undersea Dragon Palace. Fish of every imaginable shape and color swam about, leaving him completely dazzled.

”President Han, you’ve really opened my eyes today. I originally thought ornamental fish were just some yellow goldfish and koi. I didn’t expect there was so much to it. I’m afraid I was rather uninformed.”

Han Xiaorui chuckled. ”Journalist Zhou, don’t sell yourself short. They say different fields are worlds apart. There are things you know that I don’t, and likewise, things I know that you might not. It’s just a result of specializing in different industries.”

”We now have distributors in major cities like Beijing, Hang City, Xiamen, Guangzhou, and Jinling. As the domestic economy develops, the demand for ornamental fish is also growing.”

”Of course, we’ve always promoted desktop ornamental fish. These small ornamental fish are known for their low price and beautiful colors. The goal is to make them affordable for everyone, so more people can learn about ornamental fish.”

Children, in particular, find ornamental fish almost irresistible.

This cultivates a love for ornamental fish in children.

When they grow up and have the financial means, they’ll fondly remember them and buy more expensive ornamental fish.

Once they join the workforce, they might use ornamental fish in their professional lives—these are all potential customers for the future growth of the market.

As he looked at the smaller species, Journalist Zhou marveled at the small, uniquely shaped tanks, the miniature underwater landscapes arranged inside them, and the fish darting about. He couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.

Journalist Zhou took many photos, especially of the Panda Butterfly Tails.

If it weren’t for the limited film, Journalist Zhou could have spent the whole day taking pictures.

With his story in hand, Journalist Zhou hurried to Beijing to report on the release of fish fry into the sea during the fishing moratorium.

As for the ornamental fish, that kind of story couldn’t make the 7 o’clock news, but Journalist Zhou’s wife was in charge of agricultural reporting.

Ornamental fish are considered part of aquaculture, which falls under the purview of the agriculture channel.

Sure enough, Journalist Zhou’s wife, Reporter Tang, was very interested. She became even more intrigued when she learned that only ten percent of Jinshan Bay’s ornamental fish were sold domestically, with the rest being exported.

At the time, foreign countries were more developed than China, leading to a common perception that any product good enough for export had to be of exceptional quality. This itself was an excellent selling point.