In the sheltered coastal waters of the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea, there are large fish farms where marine crustaceans such as shrimps, and molluscs such as oysters, are raised in artificial enclosures. These farms are created by floating netted enclosures from a sprawling network of interconnected wooden pathways and platforms. Over these, fishermen have built wooden houses and huts where entire families live.

These pictures were taken in south-eastern China's Fujian province, where there are numerous floating farms that cultivate the sought-after shellfish, a delicacy that is eaten in Asia at banquets and even exchanged as gifts. The marciulture industry—the specialized branch of aquaculture where marine organisms are cultivated in the open ocean—is so large here that it has attracted its own tourist industry.

The fish farms of China’s Luoyuan Bay, Fujian Province, China. Photo credit: Edward Burtynsky