The Ussuri River, where the migration route of 730,000 salmon this year began.
Salmon is derived from the Manchu word for "Dayi Mahab", which means "a large school of fish has returned". They are born in fresh water, then grow up in the ocean, and when they reach adulthood, they return to their homeland to reproduce migratory migratory fish. Due to natural factors and man-made fishing, the resources and distribution of salmon in the wild have been severely affected. In recent years, our province has vigorously protected these salmon and restored wild fishery resources through breeding and stocking, setting a fishing ban period and other practices.
Ussuri River
The salmon migration starts from here
More than a month after the opening of the entire Ussuri River, the Fuyuan Municipal Fisheries Bureau held a stocking activity for salmon fry on the banks of the Ussuri River. 730,000 salmon fry raised by the Fisheries Bureau entered the sea from the river from here, and the Heilongjiang Provincial Environmental Protection Education Society remotely connected to the Fisheries Bureau to broadcast the event live.
"Scientific artificial breeding and stocking is one of the important means to restore salmon stock resources." Gao Ruirui, head of the society, said. In recent years, the Heilongjiang Environmental Protection Education Society has carried out the "Let China Salmon Go Home" public welfare project in many places, which was donated to the Fuyuan Fisheries Bureau an incubator with circulating water equipment last year to help salmon increase their breeding.
△ Breeding workshop of Fuyuan Fisheries Bureau
In the breeding workshop of The Fisheries Bureau of Fuyuan City, silver salmon fry swim happily in the water. According to the technical staff of the Fisheries Bureau, every October the Fisheries Bureau begins to raise salmon fry, in order to effectively improve the survival rate, there is a set of scientific standards and processes in terms of water temperature, oxygen content in water, breeding time grasp, disinfection frequency and so on. After more than half a year of rearing, the fry now meet the criteria for wild release.
△ Salmon fry
It is understood that since fuyuan city carried out breeding and stocking activities in 1989, more than 42 million salmon fry have been released. At the same time, Fuyuan City, Dongning City, Raohe County, Jiayin County in our province are also successively carrying out breeding and stocking activities of salmon, beachhead fish, sturgeon and other fish.
A three-year covenant from the river to the sea
The migration of salmon is long and arduous
Where will the salmon go when they enter the Ussuri River?
Gao Ruirui introduced that after the fish cluster is grouped, it will swim down the river to the mouth of the Heilongjiang River and enter the North Pacific Ocean. Three years later, in the autumn, they will return here to breed their offspring, and the leaves will return to their roots.
What is the way for the salmon to return home after three years?
Gao Ruirui said that the journey back home of salmon is long and arduous, not only with waterfalls, shoals and reefs several meters high, but also with many animals waiting for opportunities to prey on them. The fish traveled up the river, night and day, back to their long-lost hometown.
△ Successful release of salmon fry
Despite all the hardships, the salmon arrived in their homeland and immediately began to look for clear water and low-quality sand to spawn. Before long, their offspring will begin to hatch and grow here, continuing the life trajectory of their parents.
Speaking about the importance of salmon, Gao Ruirui said that the migratory migration of salmon has brought rich marine material to the inland of the mainland, and has also nurtured northern peoples and coastal animals and plants, especially in river ecosystems, which have an irreplaceable conservation role, and they play an important role in cornerstone species and umbrella protection species.
At the same time, salmon is also closely related to the culture of the Hezhe, Orunchun and other fishing and hunting peoples, they wear fish skin clothes, raft on the Ussuri River, and use fish skin paintings to record life and cultural heritage, which is mainly made of salmon skin.
"In the face of the declining population of salmon, it is imperative to protect them." Gao Ruirui said that through artificial breeding and stocking, it can effectively supplement and restore the population of salmon in the river, maintain the biodiversity of the waters, protect the germplasm resources of the waters, and make the river ecosystem more stable.
Protection is gradually increasing
Create a safe living environment for salmon
In recent years, our province has gradually increased its efforts in protecting wild fish such as salmon, and has successively issued documents such as the Opinions of the General Office of the People's Government of Heilongjiang Province on Strengthening the Protection of Wild Fish Resources, the Measures for the Protection and Management of Aquatic Wild Animals in Heilongjiang Province, and the Measures for the Management of Fishery Fishing Production in Border Waters of Heilongjiang Province, which provide institutional guarantees for the protection of wild fish such as salmon.
In April this year, the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued a notice of the 2022 fishing ban period, and the fishing ban system will be implemented throughout the province from May 16. According to the requirements of the circular, fishing vessels and fishing gear should all be withdrawn from the work site (beach land), and the fishing vessels should be centrally managed and guarded by special personnel.
△ Table of time changes of fishing ban periods in various waters of Heilongjiang Province from 2018 to 2022
According to statistics from the Heilongjiang Environmental Protection Education Society, the fishing ban period in the Suifen River waters and other waters has been extended in 2022, especially the fishing ban period in the Suifen River waters has changed significantly, an increase over the previous year in October and a whole month.
For the extension of the fishing ban period, Gao Ruirui was very happy: "This is good news! The Dongning section of the Suifen River is one of the few waters in our province that has salmon migrating to spawn. October is the peak of salmon migration and breeding, and the setting of a fishing ban period has played an extremely important role in the continuation of the wild salmon population in the Suifen River waters, creating a safer living and breeding environment for them. ”
In addition, Gao Ruirui suggested that the first is to strengthen the detection of fish resources in the released waters and detect the changes in the fish resources and water conditions in the waters, so as to ensure that the structure and function of the waters are suitable for the survival of fish. The second is to establish breeding technology and standards for release stations to promote the survival rate and field adaptability of fry at each release station. The third is to release the best use of native fish species in this water, and to preserve genetic diversity as much as possible.
"Hopefully, in three years, the stocked salmon will come back one after another." We shouted at the herds of salmon in the water – Dayi Mahha! Gao Ruirui said with a smile.