On February 28, 2022, China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced the results of the 2022 Yangtze finless porpoise scientific expedition, and the population of the Yangtze finless porpoise was 1,249. Compared with the previous survey, the number of finless porpoises has shown a historic turning point in the decline and recovery. This good news makes people full of expectations about the future prospects of the Yangtze finless porpoise. At the same time, this has also made the "Yangtze River Ten-Year Fishing Ban Plan (2021-2030)" a topic of great concern. This plan has been fully launched since January 1 this year, affecting 111,000 fishing boats and 231,000 fishermen in the Yangtze River basin!
The finless porpoise is a rare species under key protection in the People's Republic of China. Moreover, it is an important part of the current conservation of continental biodiversity. The population of finless porpoises continues to decline, mainly due to pollution, killing, and loss of habitat. According to the survey, in the 50s of the last century, there were still thousands of Yangtze finless porpoises, and in the early 21st century, only a few finless porpoises survived. This grim reality has plunged the country into a state of emergency to protect the finless porpoise.
At present, the number of Yangtze finless porpoises has rebounded, and in addition to a series of measures taken by government departments, it is more important to ban fishing completely. The ten-year fishing ban is not only a sacrifice for fishermen, but also for the sustainable development of the Yangtze River ecosystem, which is of great practical significance. The Yangtze River Basin is rich in rare fish resources, and the protection of these resources requires the joint efforts of the whole society. If measures such as a ban on fishing are not taken, the decision to ban fishing completely will become empty words.
In the process of implementing the fishing ban, government departments also need to provide corresponding resettlement work for fishermen to ensure their basic livelihood. Policy-based financial and technical support can not only allow fishermen to transform into other industries, but also guide them to devote themselves to industries such as tourism and ecological agriculture along the river. After all, a piece of paper cannot solve the problem, and practice can test the truth.
In general, a total fishing ban is a necessary measure to safeguard the aquatic biodiversity of the Yangtze River and implement the 10-year fishing ban plan of the Yangtze River Commission. Although the ten-year ban on fishing is a huge test for fishermen, this difficulty requires the joint efforts of the whole society to overcome. As a conscientious and responsible Power, we must protect our environment and strive for sustainable development
On January 1, 2021, the ten-year fishing ban in key waters of the Yangtze River Basin was fully launched. The 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River is an important decision made by the Party Central Committee and the State Council for the overall situation and for future generations. In order to protect and restore the ecological environment of the Mother River, 332 nature reserves and aquatic germplasm resources reserves in the Yangtze River Basin have completely banned productive fishing, and realized a comprehensive ban on fishing of finless porpoises and other fishery resources. In 2022, the scientific expedition data of the Yangtze finless porpoise was officially released, and the number of Yangtze finless porpoises has recovered, with the latest population being 1249. Behind this, there are countless guardians running, shouting and cultivating. Now, we can ask, is the ten-year ban on fishing in the Yangtze River worth it?
The 10-year ban on fishing in the Yangtze River began on January 1, 2020, and since then, 332 nature reserves and aquatic germplasm resources reserves in the Yangtze River Basin have completely banned productive fishing, and fishing of finless porpoises and other fishery resources has been completely banned. For the launch of the ten-year fishing ban, the protectors of the Yangtze River were attentive, they carefully planned, meticulously and comprehensively implemented. In fact, the ten-year fishing ban is a plan that began preparations as early as 2016, because the ten-year fishing ban requires in-depth comprehensive improvement of the Yangtze River waters, which requires extremely high level of integration and complexity. From 2016 to 2020, under the condition of comprehensive improvement and sustainable development of the Yangtze River, all localities have redefined many organisms that need long-term protection and special conservation value as ecological public goods, and explored and established long-term mechanisms such as fishing moratorium, hunting ban, and protection. The issuance of this fishing ban decision is a major event, which is not only a specific measure, but also a great concern for the ecological economic construction talents in the Yangtze River Basin, the protection of ecological resources in the Yangtze River Basin, and a comprehensive leap forward in the construction of ecological civilization.
Speaking of lake finless porpoises, this surviving aquatic mammal population in the middle reaches of China's Yangtze River is one of the most representative beneficiaries of the implementation of conservation and fishing bans. The Yangtze finless porpoise is naturally a very precious ecological resource and natural heritage in the upper reaches of the main stream of the Yangtze River and its tributaries. Compared with the puffer fish in other water systems, the Yangtze finless porpoise has a small number, small distribution range, and poor adaptability to the living environment, and has almost faced the danger of extinction after hundreds of years. Based on the implementation of the ten-year fishing ban, we can see that the finless porpoise population has rebounded from 1,012 to 1,249 in just five years, which is a big improvement. What does this mean? It means that the ecological environment of the Yangtze River is gradually improving, and that some of the remaining aquatic mammal groups such as Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake have been revived, which means that human efforts in this regard are worth it.
However, the implementation of the 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River has been facing resistance and opposition from fishermen and some local governments. Historically, the fishery resources of the Yangtze River have been one of the main economic resources of local residents, and the implementation of the fishing ban policy has directly affected the livelihoods of local residents. Many fishermen do not even want to see the implementation of the fishing ban policy succeed. At this point, we need to consider the reality of the implementation of the fishing ban policy: the Yangtze River fishing ban policy itself is a big step, but without good safeguards, its positive effects will be weakened, and the support for the fishing ban policy may be reduced. The 10-year ban did not come out of nowhere, it was based on in-depth research and assessment of the impact on the local environment and fishers' livelihoods. In the early days of the implementation of the Yangtze River fishing ban, it was inevitable to bring a certain degree of discomfort and inconvenience, but since it is to protect the ecological resources of the motherland, we believe it is worth it.
In the next implementation of the finless porpoise protection, we need to always maintain a high degree of concern for the environment and the effective implementation of protection, so as to better promote the construction of ecological civilization in the Yangtze River Basin. Improve public awareness of environmental protection, strengthen the popularization of environmental protection knowledge, promote the concept of environmental protection in the hearts of the people, and form social consensus. In today's social context, environmental protection is not only the need and desire of some people, but the common demand and goal of all people, and environmental responsibility and the spirit of caring for the environment have become one of the values commonly recognized by modern volunteers.
The implementation of the 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River is a historic decision. Despite various difficulties and challenges, it has played a vital role in protecting the ecological environment and biodiversity of the Yangtze River system, protecting the natural resources on which human beings depend, and promoting the construction of ecological civilization. We believe that in the implementation of the 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River, a future that pursues a healthy and eco-friendly society will be more likely.