The development practices of the oyster industry in Rushan, China: Green, branding, innovation, and integration

Oyster aquaculture, a pillar industry of the global mariculture sector, exerts a profound influence on food security and ecological sustainable development. China is the world’s largest oyster producer, and the Rushan oyster industry has grown into a paradigm for the high-quality development of China’s oyster industry during its transformation and upgrading, leading the nation in output, brand value, market share and product pricing. Adopting the case study method, combined with information collection and field investigations, this research systematically examines the oyster industry in Rushan from four dimensions: green, branding, Innovation and integration. The findings indicate that Rushan has built a closed-loop industrial chain featuring “ecological aquaculture, brand marketing, innovation-driven value increment, integrated extension,” and formed a coordinated development model with ecological priority as the foundation, brand-driven development as the engine, technological innovation as the core and multi-dimensional integration as the pathway. The total output value of this industry has exceeded 10 billion yuan, enabling more than 30,000 practitioners to achieve an aggregate annual income increase of 2 billion yuan, with its brand value reaching 19.385 billion yuan. This study distills the replicable experiences and scientific insights of the Rushan Model, providing practical references for the sustainable and high-quality development of global coastal characteristic industries and the advancement of China’s Rural Revitalization Strategy.