GB/T 22213-2026Terminology of aquaculture (English PDF)

1 Scope

GB/T 22213-2026 is the Chinese national standard covering the vocabulary of fish and shellfish farming - the systems from ponds and cages to recirculating units, the stages of the life cycle, the feeding, the water quality and the disease and breeding terms. China produces most of the world's farmed aquatic food, and this is the reference every other aquaculture standard is written against. It replaces GB/T 22213-2008 and has been in force since 1 September 2026. It was issued on 27 February 2026 and has been in force since 1 September 2026, replacing GB/T 22213-2008. The document is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. This page is published from the official record of the 2026 edition; the clause text of a standard this recent is not yet in circulation, and the figures, limits and tables it contains are those of the document itself, delivered in full with the English translation.

This document defines the general terminology for aquaculture, as well as the terms and definitions for environmental conditions, facilities and tools, breeding, and cultivation. This document applies to aquaculture and related fields.

4 Environmental conditions

4.1 fisherieswater Waters used for aquaculture, propagation, and fishing.

4.2 water quality The physical, chemical, and biological characteristics and composition of water bodies.

4.3 transparency The degree to which light penetrates water is measured using a transparency disk (Sassaurus disk), which is a black and white striped disk with a diameter of 20 cm that is submerged in water. The maximum depth that can be seen.

4.4 watercolorwatercolor The color of aquaculture water is formed by plankton and suspended matter.

4.5 Total nitrogen The total amount of nitrogen in all its forms in water.

4.6 ammonia nitrogen (ammonianitrogen) Nitrogen in water exists in the form of free ammonia (NH3) and ammonium ions. [Source: SC/T 9444-2023, 3.2]

4.7 non-ionic ammonia Free ammonia (NH3) exists in water in molecular form.

4.8 Total phosphorus The total amount of phosphorus in all forms in water.

4.9 Total hardness The sum of the mass concentrations of calcium ions and magnesium ions in water is converted into the mass concentration of calcium carbonate.

Note. Values are expressed in mg/L.

4.10 pH value pH value The negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration in water indicates the acidity or alkalinity of the water.

4.11 Total alkalinity The total amount of substances in water that can react with hydrogen ions.

Note. Measured in mmol/L. [Source: GB/T 43563-2023, 3.3, with modifications]

4.12 Dissolved oxygen (DO) Oxygen in its molecular form dissolved in water.

5 Aquaculture facilities and tools

5.1 Parent Pond broodstockpond A pond used for cultivating parent plants and animals for aquaculture.

5.2 nursery pond A pond used for raising juvenile aquatic animals and plants.

5.3 fingerlingpond Ponds used for raising fish fry.

5.4 growth-outpond Pools used for raising commercial aquatic plants and animals.

5.5 Overwintering pond overwinteringpond Water ponds used for overwintering aquatic plants and animals.

5.6 egg retrieval device Egg retrieval tools used to check the development of the ovaries.

5.7 spawningpond Pools used for estrus, mating, spawning, and fertilization of parent aquatic animals.

5.8 egg-colecting container A net cage installed at the outlet of the spawning pond (5.7) to collect eggs.

5.9 Hatchingpond Pools used for incubating fertilized eggs of aquatic animals.

5.10 A circular or elliptical ring-shaped water flow system used for hatching fertilized fish eggs.

5.11 incubator A device with water flow and air inflation functions, used for incubating fertilized eggs of aquatic animals.

5.12 Hatching Barrel A barrel-shaped container used for the artificial incubation of fertilized eggs of aquatic animals.

5.13 Artificial egg collection facilities placed in water for adhesive fish eggs to attach to.

5.14 fish sieve; sorting sieve A tool used to separate fish of different sizes.

6 Breeding

6.1 parent Aquatic plants and animals used for reproduction.

6.2 broodstock Aquatic plants and animals used for reproduction.

6.3 Parents culture The process of artificially raising parent animals to promote gonadal development and maturation.

6.4 sex ratio The ratio of male to female individuals within an animal population.

6.5 sexual maturity The stage in an animal's development where it is capable of reproducing.

6.6 sexual maturity stage Gonadal development stages are defined based on the external characteristics of the gonads and the degree of development of sex cells.

6.7 Hermaphrodite The phenomenon that an individual can possess both female and male reproductive systems.

6.8 Sex reversal The phenomenon of sex transformation in an individual organism under certain conditions.

6.9 gonadal index A numerical value indicating the degree of maturity of an animal's gonads. Expressed as a percentage of the animal's net weight of gonadal weight.

6.10 reproductive cycle The time interval between the last reproduction and the next reproduction of a mature organism.

6.11 Age at first maturity The age at which aquatic animals first reach sexual maturity.

6.12 Fangirl nuptialtubercle Pearlorgan During the fish breeding season, sexually mature parent fish develop round, granular, horny protrusions on their pectoral fins, anal fins, head, or caudal peduncle.

6.13 nuptial colour The distinctive body coloration of sexually mature fish during the breeding season.

6.14 When fish reach sexual maturity, they can distinguish the physical characteristics of males and females.