Sichuan Baiyu Original Breeding Farm

Online Water Quality Monitoring Project at the Sichuan White Snakehead Fish Original and Improved Variety Farm

This online water quality monitoring project is a key initiative to ensure the safety of white snakehead fish germplasm resources, improve the quality of original and improved variety breeding, and promote the standardized development of the white snakehead fish industry. As a core base integrating conservation, breeding, multiplication, and promotion of white snakehead fish, the farm undertakes the important mission of protecting original broodstock, developing new varieties, and supplying high‑quality seedlings. This directly affects the sustainable development of the white snakehead fish industry in Sichuan and the improvement of product quality.

The white snakehead fish is a valuable commercial species characterized by low fat and high protein content. It has stringent requirements for aquaculture water quality: suitable pH range 6.5–8.5, dissolved oxygen ≥ 3 mg/L, and water transparency ≥ 25 cm. In areas of the farm such as the conservation zone, breeding zone, improved variety zone, and hatchery workshop, water quality is susceptible to influences from uneaten feed residues, fish excrement, untimely water exchange, and external environmental factors. Problems such as excessive ammonia nitrogen and nitrite levels and fluctuations in dissolved oxygen can occur. Traditional manual sampling monitoring suffers from long cycles, delayed data, insufficient monitoring frequency, and an inability to accurately capture subtle changes in water quality. These shortcomings fail to meet the refined water quality control requirements of white snakehead fish breeding and the national fishery water quality standards.

To address these monitoring gaps, build a strong water quality safety defense line for white snakehead fish breeding, and improve breeding survival rates and seedling quality, the Sichuan White Snakehead Fish Original and Improved Variety Farm launched this online water quality monitoring project. The project centrally deploys outdoor multi‑parameter online water quality monitors, establishing a comprehensive, intelligent, round‑the‑clock water quality monitoring system that provides solid technical support for scientific breeding of white snakehead fish.

Monitoring System and Deployment

This project combines the functional zoning of the farm, the breeding process, and the growth habits of white snakehead fish. Using outdoor multi‑parameter online water quality monitors as the core monitoring equipment, monitoring points are scientifically deployed to achieve seamless, full‑process coverage of water quality monitoring. Key monitoring points are located in critical areas such as the original broodstock conservation ponds, breeding test ponds, improved variety cultivation ponds, the inlet of the hatchery workshop, and the tailwater treatment ponds. Monitoring also covers sensitive points such as water source intakes and water exchange outlets, ensuring comprehensive capture of water quality dynamics throughout the entire process from water supply, breeding and cultivation, to tailwater discharge, precisely matching the water quality requirements at different growth stages of white snakehead fish.

The outdoor multi‑parameter online water quality monitors focus on the core water quality needs for white snakehead fish breeding. They primarily monitor key indicators such as water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, turbidity, ammonia nitrogen, nitrite, total phosphorus, and total nitrogen. The system strictly follows national fishery water quality standards and the technical requirements for white snakehead fish breeding. Monitoring parameters and alert thresholds can be flexibly adjusted according to different breeding stages, ensuring that the monitoring data are accurate and reliable. The system fully reflects the water quality status in each breeding area, providing precise data support for water quality regulation, feed optimization, and water exchange management, thereby helping to improve the conservation rate of original broodstock and the survival rate of seedlings.

Equipment Features and Capabilities

The outdoor multi‑parameter online water quality monitors used in the project feature a lightweight, integrated design that requires no complex civil construction. They can be flexibly deployed around each aquaculture pond, are easy to install, occupy a small footprint, and do not interfere with breeding operations. The equipment is equipped with high‑precision sensors and offers core advantages of automation, high stability, and strong anti‑interference capability. It can sensitively capture subtle changes in water quality. It integrates full‑process functions including automatic sampling, automatic detection, automatic cleaning, automatic calibration, and intelligent quality control. It can operate continuously 24/7, significantly reducing the workload of manual sampling and testing, avoiding the inconvenience of outdoor manual inspections, and minimizing human operational errors.

The equipment supports 4G data transmission, enabling real‑time upload of monitoring data to a platform for real‑time data viewing, historical trend analysis, and automatic alerting for abnormal indicators. Furthermore, it can be linked with on‑site aeration equipment and feeding equipment for coordinated control:

When the monitored dissolved oxygen level falls below the suitable threshold, the system automatically activates the aeration equipment to rapidly increase dissolved oxygen in the water.

Based on changes in water quality indicators and the growth stage of white snakehead fish, the system enables precise control of feeding time and quantity, avoiding water pollution caused by uneaten feed residues while ensuring adequate nutrient supply.

This also allows staff to promptly take supplementary actions such as water exchange or the addition of water quality conditioners, preventing risks such as seedling disease and mortality caused by water quality deterioration.

Project Outcomes and Significance

The implementation of this project has comprehensively improved the intelligence and precision of water quality control at the Sichuan White Snakehead Fish Original and Improved Variety Farm, effectively addressing the shortcomings of traditional monitoring methods. It has achieved closed‑loop management of “real‑time monitoring, precise early warning, rapid response, and full‑process control” for water quality in white snakehead fish breeding. The linkage control functions for aeration and feeding further enhance the level of automation in breeding management, aligning with the requirements for standardized breeding of white snakehead fish and high‑quality industrial development.

The continuous and stable operation of the outdoor multi‑parameter online water quality monitors not only provides accurate data support for farm management to understand water quality dynamics in each breeding area, identify water quality risks, optimize breeding processes, and regulate water quality parameters, but also enables coordinated action between water quality control and farming operations through the linkage control system. This reduces manual intervention, helps improve the long‑term maintenance mechanism for white snakehead fish breeding, enhances the quality of original broodstock conservation and seedling quality, and ensures the successful achievement of annual targets for conservation, breeding, and seedling production. The project also promotes a shift in white snakehead fish breeding from “experience‑based control” to “data‑driven control,” reducing breeding risks and operation costs, and providing a solid foundation for the development of new white snakehead fish varieties and the protection of germplasm resources.

Moreover, the implementation of this project improves the monitoring system at the Sichuan White Snakehead Fish Original and Improved Variety Farm, offering a replicable and scalable intelligent monitoring solution for water quality monitoring at similar aquatic original and improved variety farms. It helps promote the large‑scale, standardized, and high‑quality development of the white snakehead fish industry in Sichuan, solidifying the industrial foundation of the “Hometown of White Snakehead Fish in China.”