SOURCE / ECONOMY
Aquaculture, wastewater treatment stocks rise following Japan's controversial decision to dump nuclear wastewater
Published: Apr 13, 2021 11:41 AM Updated: Apr 13, 2021 04:06 PM
Aerial photo shows aquaculture floats at a sea farm in Rongcheng, east China's Shandong Province, July 26, 2020. Eco-friendly floats are widely used in the local aquaculture industry. (Photo by Li Xinjun/Xinhua)

Aerial photo shows aquaculture floats at a sea farm in Rongcheng, east China's Shandong Province, July 26, 2020. Eco-friendly floats are widely used in the local aquaculture industry. (Photo by Li Xinjun/Xinhua)



After Japan's decision to discharge radioactive wastewater into the sea sparked widespread concerns from Chinese consumers over seafood safety, the stocks of aquaculture and wastewater treatment rose on Chinese stock markets on Tuesday morning. 

The plate of aquaculture - the breeding, rearing, and harvesting of fish, shellfish, algae and other organisms - jumped 4.74 percent when stock markets closed on Tuesday. 

The news led some netizens to embrace freshwater fish leveraging artificial breeding, a prospect that lifted shares of freshwater fish companies listed on Chinese stock markets. 

Share price of domestic leading freshwater aquaculture specialist Dahu Aquaculture Co up 10.02 percent, Guolian Fish up 20 percent on Tuesday morning.

Following news reports of Japan's move to dump the wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, some Chinese consumers took to social media to register their opposition, calling the move a disaster for humankind.

"I'm concerned that the seafood in the Pacific Ocean, not just around Japan, will be contaminated, and that it will have an adverse effect on the human body," a Beijing resident surnamed Yang told the Global Times on Monday.

In addition, a report by GF Securities said that aquatic seedlings entered peak season in China as the weather is getting warm. "The price of aquatic products remains high, sparking the enthusiasm of fish farmers."

Stocks for wastewater treatment were also lifted after Japan made the final announcement to discharge radioactive wastewater into the sea on Tuesday. 

Sewage treatment provider Fujian Haixia Environmental Protection Group Co hit limit up at the stock market together with strong performance of Tianjin Motech, CEC Environmental Protection Co and other water treatment companies. 

After Japan made the final decision to discharge wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear complex into the ocean, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday expressed serious concern, calling the decision extremely irresponsible.

Global Times