Fishermen in Shengsi county, Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, catch mussels. [Photo/Zhejiang Daily]

Mussel harvest season has begun in Shengsi county in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province.

Wei Haibo, a mussel breeder, said that his 40-mu (2.67 hectares) ranch can produce more than 5,000 kilograms of mussels per day, which is expected to increase his income by 400,000 yuan ($56,161.76) this year.

The county is currently home to 700 mussel breeding households, while the breeding industry provides jobs to tens of thousands of residents and generates an annual output value of 730 million yuan.

Shengsi has built a smart ranch using technologies such as satellite remote sensing, drones, and water quality monitoring devices to construct a "cloud-based industrial map" and allow for visualized dynamic and standardized management of personnel, vessels, sea areas, and factories.

The county has also established cooperative ties with experts from the Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences to achieve full mechanization throughout the entire mussel breeding process.

A complete set of intelligent equipment for automated seedling packaging and in-situ harvesting and cleaning of mussels has been developed and is undergoing final testing. It has the potential to significantly reduce labor costs.