The 2026 Shanghai Summer School programs on Sustainable Aquaculture and Aquatic Animal Welfare came to a close on July 2, with a joint closing ceremony held at Shanghai Ocean University. 44 students from China and abroad took part in the 18‑day program, which combined academic learning with hands-on fieldwork. Activities ranged from expert lectures and FAO-led online sessions to lab experiments, company visits, and cultural immersion. The goal throughout was to connect classroom knowledge with real-world practice in aquaculture.

During the closing ceremony, student representatives from both the Chinese and international groups shared their reflections. Esther Lehou Dan, a participant from the African Development Bank, said: "I am truly grateful to Shanghai Ocean University for organizing this summer school. The past three weeks have been an immensely rewarding experience that deepened my understanding of sustainable aquaculture. My thanks go to the lecturers, the administrative staff, and the volunteers for their dedication—and especially to the drivers, who made sure we traveled safely between the hotel, campus, and field sites every day. And of course, thank you to my fellow participants for making this journey so memorable."

Tao Ying, a Chinese student from the Aquatic Animal Welfare track, added: "As a local student, it was a rare opportunity to engage face‑to‑face with leading scholars and discuss fish welfare with peers from around the world. The diverse perspectives of my international classmates were truly eye‑opening and have given me a broader vision for the future of aquaculture."

The Shanghai Summer School (3S) was launched in 2008 by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and has since become a flagship brand for Shanghai's international education exchanges. In 2025, Shanghai Ocean University launched its "Sustainable Aquaculture" track as part of the 3S initiative—the only program within the system dedicated specifically to fisheries. The inaugural session was well received and received a Silver Dove Award for excellence in international engagement.

The 2026 edition added a new module on Aquatic Animal Welfare. Centered on animal welfare in aquaculture, the module aimed to give participants a solid grasp of what good welfare practices entail, how they are assessed, and why they matter to the industry. The module was organized by Shanghai Ocean University's College of Fisheries and Life Sciences, Zhejiang University's College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, the Catch Welfare Platform project of Wageningen University & Research, the International Aquatic Animal Welfare Working Group, the Key Laboratory of Agricultural Equipment and Informatization of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the Belt and Road International Science and Technology Innovation Institute for Industrialized Green Aquaculture. The teaching faculty drew from leading institutions across the globe, including the University of Gothenburg, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies, Ocean University of China, Zhejiang University, and Shanghai Ocean University.

The new module gave the program a clearer academic focus. It also created more opportunities for interaction between Chinese and international students: participants from the two tracks came together during joint lectures, group discussions, and the closing ceremony. The exchange of ideas across cultural and academic backgrounds sparked fresh thinking and fostered greater mutual understanding.

Program directors Sun Zheng and Li Kang echoed that sentiment at the closing ceremony. They described the joint format as a valuable experiment—one that gave international participants direct exposure to China's aquaculture industry while also opening up conversations on sustainability across both student groups. Going forward, they said, the university intends to build on the summer school as a foundation for stronger international ties in the field.

Source: Shanghai Ocean University