Although the Breeding and Reproduction Center Building had been put into operation, it still wasn't fully staffed. The demand for technical personnel was simply too high.
Currently, Li Dong was even recruiting high school graduates, vocational school students, and college diploma holders—as long as they had worked in large-scale aquaculture operations and had some experience, they were hired.
Moreover, many skills had to be learned on the job. Not all university graduates were competent; there were plenty of unqualified ones too.
In the current climate, mastering a technical skill was far more valuable than being an ordinary university graduate—with the exception of top-tier and double-first-class universities, of course, as these institutions taught genuinely useful knowledge.
Professor Li Miancheng had brought thirteen apprentices with him. Li Dong set their starting monthly salary at 10,000 yuan each, which was already quite high for ordinary university graduates.
With prices continuously rising, finding jobs in specialized fields like theirs wasn't easy. Aquaculture wasn't something just anyone could do—job opportunities were limited.
To engage in aquaculture, one needed substantial capital, specialized equipment, skilled technicians, and the mental preparation to face potential losses.
The Breeding and Reproduction Center was equipped with numerous monitoring screens, primarily tracking various data from the Farming Pools. Some automated feeding systems were already in use.
If any environmental parameter exceeded safe limits, the smart system would immediately alert Professor Li or the relevant technicians.
Professor Li and his apprentices weren't constantly monitoring the screens, though. They also conducted research on various topics—any theoretical breakthroughs from their studies would naturally be beneficial.
"How many Fish Fry Pools are there in total here?" Li Dong didn't keep Professor Li occupied for long. Instead, he summoned one of the technical staff to tour the building.
"Currently, there are 113," replied the technician, one of Professor Li's apprentices named Yan Jinhua, in a serious tone.
"That many? And it seems each Fish Fry Pool contains different types of fish fry?" Li Dong approached a massive Fish Fry Pool, observing the dense swarm of tiny fry swimming inside.
"Correct. Each Fish Fry Pool represents a different fish species," Yan Jinhua explained.
113 Fish Fry Pools meant 113 different fish species—both freshwater and saltwater. Compared to the approximately 30,000 known fish species, this number was pitifully small.
In Blue Star's natural world, humans had identified about 30,000 extant fish species—roughly 15,000 freshwater and 15,000 saltwater varieties.
But knowledge didn't equate to capability. Not all fish species could be cultivated by humans.
Beyond the technical challenges of aquaculture, numerous other factors came into play. Some fish species still baffled scientists regarding their reproductive methods. Certain deep-sea fish couldn't be raised because current human technology couldn't replicate their required temperature and environmental conditions.
Even if similar environments could be simulated, cost considerations often led to abandonment—it simply wasn't worth wasting money and resources.
"How many freshwater versus saltwater species?"
"60 freshwater and slightly fewer saltwater—53."
"Good."
Li Dong nodded in satisfaction.
Among these 113 fish species, most are currently farmable by humans with relatively mature techniques.
Being able to preserve these 113 species is already quite an achievement.
No one knows how many of the over 30,000 fish species in nature will remain after enduring wave after wave of Natural Disasters.
At least securing these 113 species is already commendable.
The weak perish, the strong survive—it's no surprise that those unable to adapt face extinction.
Apart from various freshwater and saltwater fish, Li Dong also saw different types of shrimp and crabs here.
However, these were cultivated and bred by another expert surnamed He.
After touring the first floor, Li Dong proceeded to the second floor.
The second, third, and fourth floors of the Breeding and Cultivation Center are dedicated to hatching.
For example, the second floor houses thirty Hatcheries, each with distinct equipment, purposes, and functions.
This is because each Hatchery incubates different organisms.
Some Hatcheries are expansive, covering nearly a thousand square meters with advanced equipment, while others are relatively smaller but equally well-equipped.
For instance, some Hatcheries specialize in hatching Fish Eggs of certain freshwater or saltwater species.
Others are used for hatching poultry eggs, such as chicken, duck, goose, ostrich, and quail eggs.
After changing into his work clothes and putting on a mask, Li Dong reached the second floor and saw many employees bustling about in their uniforms. He refrained from interrupting their work.
"Is there a Layer Chicken Hatchery on the second floor?" Li Dong asked after hearing what sounded like chicks chirping just a few steps in.
"No, it's on the third floor. The largest Hatchery there is the Layer Chicken Hatchery, capable of hatching tens of thousands of chicks a day," Yan Jinhua explained.
"Tens of thousands of chicks a day?"
Li Dong was surprised—he hadn't realized the scale of operations his recruits had achieved.
In truth, this number isn't particularly large. Currently, the largest single-layer chicken breeding industrial park in the country has an annual hatching capacity of over 80 million.
That translates to more than two million Chick Seedlings hatched daily.
"A colleague mentioned that, to be precise, the maximum daily output is eighty thousand," Yan Jinhua added.
Hearing this number, Li Dong felt a mix of happiness and concern.
While strong hatching and breeding capabilities are advantageous, the inability to secure enough feed post-catastrophe could spell trouble.
With so many Chick Seedlings, how many vaccines would be needed?
Without vaccination, the chicks would fall ill, contract Chicken Plague, and become difficult to raise.
He'd likely have to produce vaccines—and even feed—himself.
Indeed, some of the experts under Li Dong's leadership were already planning to establish a comprehensive breeding industry chain.
But as the saying goes: "A fortune in livestock is no fortune at all."
This underscores how challenging the business can be.
However, for now,
products like Chick Seedlings, 45-Day Broiler Chickens, and eggs from the farm are in high demand. With domestic prices for all kinds of goods rising, no matter how much Li Dong supplies,
merchants nationwide are eager to buy.
Moreover, as news of the impending catastrophe spreads, the more resources Li Dong controls, the more he can trade for.
"Eight thousand chicks hatched in a single day would amount to 29.2 million hatchlings in a year." A staggering figure flashed through Li Dong's mind.
Nearly thirty million chicks—how much feed would they consume annually?
The Shelter Base's stockpiled feed and its own production capacity were limited.
Without external supply chains, maintaining livestock on this scale would eventually become unsustainable, forcing continuous reductions in breeding operations.
Unless the Shelter engaged in trade with either Corporate Shelters or Official Shelters.
Otherwise, the sheer scale of consumption would be impossible to sustain.
And this didn't even account for the feed required for fish, shrimp, crabs, pigs, cattle, sheep, and other livestock in the breeding facilities.
Including those, the numbers would be astronomical.
"We're here—this is our salmon hatchery," Yan Jinhua said.