What forces drive the rapid development of mariculture in China: Factor‐driven or total factor productivity‐driven?

Abstract

Up to now, China's mariculture has shifted from high growth to medium-high growth, which not only means a slowdown in growth, but also a shift in growth impetus. How can China achieve dynamic transformation to promote sustainable development and maintain its status as a mariculture superpower? Using data on China's ten coastal regions from 2003 to 2017, this study applies stochastic frontier analysis and the Malmquist index decomposition method combined with the translog production function to incorporate capital, labour, resources, and total factor productivity (TFP) into the growth accounting framework of mariculture and explores the dynamic track of the growth power transformation of China's mariculture. The results indicate that although the contribution of capital fluctuates, it remains high for a long time. The contribution rate of TFP was very low at first, but since 2010, it has been increasing. After 2016, TFP has replaced capital input as the primary driving force of mariculture in China. The contributions of labour and resources are positive, but their roles are gradually reduced. The growth mode of factor input is no longer sustainable, and the growth of mariculture must ‘open up a new path’, which is TFP.