Fish in Yangtze River were once endangered! After policy was made public, did it overwhelm one after another? Experts say no
The Yangtze River is birthplace and mother of Chinese nation. It flows from north to south, from east to west, flows through Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan and connects Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. Its total length is 6363 kilometers. In addition, economic value of Yangtze River is even more impressive: total amount of hydropower resources that can be developed is hundreds of millions, and it is currently richest hydropower generation area in China.
Due to favorable geographical position of Yangtze River, water quality is good, and development of fisheries is also a matter of course. There are 424 fish species in Yangtze River, and 183 fish species are special fish species found only in Yangtze River.
Among them, Chinese sturgeon, white sturgeon and Yangtze finless porpoise are nationally protected animals. The abundance of fishing has brought economic income to country and people, but years of building reservoirs and developing water energy, fishermen rely on sky to fish.
The ecology of Yangtze River is deteriorating, and actions to restore and protect are inevitable. In order to realize battle to protect Yangtze River, we will continue to carry out protection and actual development activities for many years.
One. Why is fishing prohibited?
In 1950s and 1960s, Yangtze River was rich in fish that can be described as "fish and shrimp chasing current." The people living around mainly make a living from fishing, raising a group of people. By 2006, ecology of Yangtze River had deteriorated and productivity of fishery was not as good as it used to be. is alarming and ecosystem is in decline.
In 2018, 1,012 finless porpoises remained. Many experts predict that in about 10 to 15 years, all finless porpoises could be extinct. Years of fishing and freshwater systems, sewerage and water abstraction, and high-density hydropower development have put ecological life of Yangtze River at stake.
This not only affects livelihood of nearby fishermen, but also damages and defiles nature. If allowed to continue to deteriorate for a long time, it may hamper development of Yangtze River and even end "life" of Yangtze River in advance.
A fishing ban has become a top priority. Although a three-month fishing ban was previously introduced, effect is clear. There is no written protection law and some strict protection measures.
Some fishermen are likely to increase their income by fishing with poor means, and restoring fishing ecology requires adequate protection and recuperation.
Therefore, in 2019, my country unveiled "Action Plan for Protection and Restoration of Yangtze River". From beginning of 2020, a plan to ban fishing for 10 years will be implemented on Yangtze River.
2. What were our performance during fishing ban?
Until now, fishing has been completely prohibited in Yangtze River in my country for two years. The ecology of Yangtze River, which was unreliable in past, is gradually being restored, and development is very optimistic. The numbers of some of these fish began to increase dramatically.Over a conservation period of almost a year, saury, one of "Four Fish of Yangtze River", was able to catch initial annual catch in one net.
The more common domesticated fish, such as herring and silver carp, have significant breeding numbers. Some endangered fish species have also rejuvenated. The finless porpoise, national wildlife animal, was once thought to be extinct, but now its numbers have also increased significantly.
After a two-year ban on fishing, number of fish has increased by leaps and bounds. Defending fishing ban in Yangtze River has its own environmental implications. Is a ten-year fishing ban too long? The fishermen have nothing to eat. But in fact, this hard battle requires a long time and a lot of patience.
Now we have achieved results, only part of fish, there are many fish in Yangtze River,But most of them are vegetarian and omnivorous fish, many of which are scarce and protected animals are carnivorous fish, what is needed is a good ecological environment and climate. Secondly, it can greatly influence development of aquatic products.
However, fishing in Yangtze River accounts for a very small share of fishing in my country, and in general it will not have a bad impact on our economic development and income.
Moreover, ecological value of Yangtze River is much higher than economic value. Long natural selection has weakened originally flourishing fishery.
So, a fishing ban doesn't mean that fishing in Yangtze River will be completely wiped out, but it does allow resources to flow better. Artificial fish farming is also way that most of our fish nutrition needs have been met in recent years. Commonly eaten or popular fish are artificially propagated.
Protecting Yangtze River is of historical importance and improves our lives, and future generations can also enjoy excellent water and soil conditions on one side to keep people on one side.
Third. From initial success to reverse
Over past two years of protecting fish in Yangtze River, ecological system has become more and more stable. With such rapid development, many fear that if it continues, fish could multiply to unimaginable levels, which will also have some negative impact on future protection and use of Yangtze River.
From a biological point of view, as soon as number of species increases to a certain level, there will be situations when ecosystem cannot withstand it. The phenomenon when big fish prey on small fish is useful in a harmonious ecology, but it's not about a collapsed ecology. Some kind of catastrophe. If there is no management and good balance for a long time, the ecological circle will be destroyed and the species richness will drop sharply.
In Yangtze River, such a catastrophic situation will not be easy. A large increase in fish species will restore number of some rare predatory fish. The more fish species, richer species diversity,The food chain will also become healthier, and natural selection is most common phenomenon in biosphere.
There won't be much reaction, therefore, and term "catastrophe" may be more of an alarming statement. Protecting Yangtze River is not temporary, it is a great decision regarding our future .
The fishing ban period is best example for us to develop our protection awareness. Whether it is Yangtze River or other ecological environment, we must persevere to protect them and not interfere too much. . What we must do is to insist on establishing a good awareness of protection and shout "No" to any vandalism!