Skilled fish cutters slice a bluefin in this undated file photo. Two grand bluefin cutting ceremonies will be presented at the Shenzhen International Fisheries and Sea Food Expo to be held at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian. Courtesy of the expo organizer

The Shenzhen International Fisheries and Sea Food Expo held at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District will feature two grand bluefin tuna cutting ceremonies May 11-12.

Visitors can witness the spectacular Atlantic bluefin tuna, weighing over 300 kilograms and spanning over 2 meters long, presented by the China National Agricultural Development Group on May 11.

On May 12, the second day of the three-day event, Shenzhen Liancheng Overseas Fishery Group will present a bluefin tuna weighing over 400 kilograms, the heaviest "King of Fish" in the history of Chinese fisheries exhibition.

"The Tuna Cutting Show, a highly popular culinary performance, will offer the audience a visual and gastronomical delight. The sliced meat will be delivered via drones to households that order them," said Xu Hongtao, head of the oceanic development of the Shenzhen Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau.

In addition to the tuna cutting ceremonies, the expo will also be a celebratory tradition that symbolizes good luck and prosperity, according to Xu.

The city will officially inaugurate the Shenzhen International Tuna Transaction Center at the Shenzhen Fisheries Business Promotion Conference on May 10. The transactions and auctions of tuna businesses will be officially launched online during the expo.

The infrastructure of the tuna transaction in Dachan Bay, jointly invested by China Agriculture Development Group and Shenzhen Port Group, will be put into operation before the end of the year. The online business will be initiated first, according to Xu. 

In addition to displays of over 10,000 aquatic products, some of which are rarely seen, visitors can also learn about the intelligent marine technologies used in oceanic farming, harvesting and aquatic products transportation.  

Expo visitors will have a chance to taste king crabs from Russia, groupers from Taiwan and tuna from Spain, as well as have a glimpse of a mermaid performance.

According to the event's organizer, exhibitors from over 20 countries and regions will participate in the expo, bringing in some special species that could be found in deep oceans. 

From a fishing village four decades ago to now a modern metropolis with 20 million residents, Shenzhen will show the high-quality development of its fisheries industry through a photo exhibition during the expo.

Shenzhen now has 11 oceanic fishing enterprises and contributes to around 60% of the total number of ocean fishing vessels in Guangdong. 

As Shenzhen is on its way to becoming a global marine central city, it is now building four 100,000-ton ocean farming vessels equipped with modern technologies. The vessels, with a value of 2.8 billion yuan (US$404.53 million), will be put into operation in 2025.

In 2022, the total output value of Shenzhen’s ocean industry exceeded 300 billion yuan, accounting for 9.7% of the city’s gross domestic product.