China to create national bank for marine fisheries germplasm resources

QINGDAO - A national marine fisheries germplasm resources bank will be built in Qingdao, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province.

The 20,647-square-meter bank will be located at the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, the institute said.

Jin Xianshi, director of the institute, said the database will cost 162 million yuan (about $25 million).

The bank will include a DNA lab where marine fishery samples are analyzed and stored. There will also be a database for biological cells and one for microorganism.

Live bodies of rare, high-value, vulnerable and endangered marine fishery species will also be preserved at the bank, he said.

Using the database, researchers will study the impact of fishing on fishery resources and the impact of marine farming, said Jin.

Construction of the bank is scheduled to be completed in 2020.