On an ordinary day in 2018, a fearless and unique netizen used his superb shooting skills to skillfully capture the jaw-dropping giant fish in the depths of the trunk canal on the landmark of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, the South-to-North Water Diversion Bridge.
The length of this big fish photographed by this netizen was even more than one meter away, and this spectacular scene shocked everyone! He did not hesitate to upload this precious moment to the Internet, which immediately aroused the enthusiastic attention and heated discussion of the vast number of netizens.
At first, the authorities in charge of managing the project did not anticipate that after eight years of careful maintenance, the fish in the main canal would grow into such an astonishing size.
In 2015, the largest fish found in the canal was only 24 centimeters long, but by 2018 the number had soared to more than 30 centimeters, according to previous monitoring data.
It can be seen that without human intervention, the growth rate of these fish is indeed beyond our imagination.
The appearance of these giant fish has undoubtedly brought great surprise and amazement to people. However, it has also raised deep concerns about the ecological balance of the trunk canal.
After all, if these fish are allowed to breed at will, they will eventually cause serious damage to the water quality and ecosystems in the main canals.
According to experienced local fishermen, they were fortunate enough to catch a giant eel with a body length of up to 1.68 meters and a weight of 104 catties. This size is almost like a dinosaur possession, which is incredible.
It is unbelievable that such a huge fish can live comfortably in this artificial canal.
After all, the sediment and water quality conditions of the trunk canals are so different from those of natural rivers that it is hard to imagine that they can breed such huge fish.
However, this windfall has also raised deep concerns about the ecological balance of the trunk canals.
Ecologists warn that if these large fish are allowed to continue to grow and reproduce, they will eventually cause serious damage to the ecology of the entire water.
In order to prevent such a situation from happening, the project management has to intensify efforts to closely monitor and strictly control the fish in the main canal.
They must regularly count the number and variety of fish and, if they detect any anomalies, immediately take necessary measures to control them, such as artificial fishing.
The South-to-North Water Diversion Project is undoubtedly a shining monument in the history of China's water conservancy construction! Since the entire line was opened to water in 2014, this major project has become a strong backing for the northern region to cope with the severe problem of water shortage, benefiting hundreds of millions of people.
Up to now, the project has delivered up to 60 billion cubic meters of precious water to the north, providing a solid guarantee for local industry, agricultural production and people's daily life.
The main canal of the project is 1,277 kilometers long, spanning 14 prosperous cities such as Henan, Hebei, Beijing and Tianjin. This meandering artificial waterway is like a majestic river, and it is also like a magnificent large-scale ink painting.
At the source of this trunk canal is the famous Danjiangkou Reservoir.
In order to ensure the water quality safety of the main canal and maintain the local ecological balance, the project management planted green vegetation with a width of more than 10 meters on both sides of the main canal.
At the same time, they also stocked 13 native fish species in the Danjiangkou Reservoir as natural water purifiers.
Through the implementation of these ecological protection measures, the project management expects to maintain the ecological environment of the areas along the route as much as possible on the basis of ensuring the safety of water supply.
However, whether these efforts can have a positive impact on fish growth in the trunk canal remains a mystery that has yet to be revealed. After all, it is curious to see how these undisturbed fish are growing during the eight-year recuperation period.
As early as 2015, when the research team conducted a detailed survey of the interior of the main canal, 19 species of fish of different forms were discovered. At the time, the largest of these fish was only 24 centimeters.
Three years later, in 2018, when researchers re-monitored, they were pleasantly surprised to find that the number of fish species had increased to 23, with the largest even exceeding 30 centimeters.
It can be seen that in this tranquil and beautiful environment, the growth rate of fish is truly amazing.
That's why there are amazing "meter-level" fish. According to experienced local fishermen, they once managed to catch a giant eel with a body length of 1.68 meters and a weight of up to 104 catties.
With such a huge size, it is like a dinosaur descending into the world.
The shocking fact is that such a huge fish can live so leisurely in this artificially constructed canal! Obviously, compared to the natural river, the texture and water quality of the bottom of the canal are different, and it is really hard to imagine that such a behemoth can be bred here.
However, this unexpected harvest has also raised deep concerns about the ecological balance of the trunk canal. Ecologists have made it clear that if these large fish continue to grow and reproduce uncontrollably, they will eventually cause serious damage to the ecological environment of the entire water.
Not only are these fish abundant, but they are also staggering in their individual strength, and if they get out of control, they are likely to devour other small fish species in the dry canal, leading to species imbalance and even ecological disaster.
In order to prevent this from happening, the project management department has to increase its efforts to monitor and control fish in the main canals. They must regularly count the number and variety of fish and make adjustments if they detect any anomalies, such as manual fishing.
Relying solely on a fishing ban cannot fully protect the ecological environment in the trunk canal. As a major livelihood project at the national level, the South-to-North Water Diversion Canal must always maintain a high degree of vigilance and strictly implement various protection measures.
In the Danjiangkou Reservoir, the project management department carefully selected 13 species of native fish for stocking, including silver carp, bighead carp, grass carp and herring.
Not only do these fish grow fast, but they also play a vital role in the ecosystem due to their miraculous ability to purify water quality.
According to relevant data, these fish consume 200 to 400 kilograms of plankton every year, making a non-negligible contribution to the water environment in the main canal.
In order to ensure that these fish can enter the main canal smoothly, the project also set up a fish trap net at the diversion of the Danjiangkou Reservoir. In this way, large wild fish from the outside world cannot invade the interior of the main canal, thus avoiding possible damage to the ecological environment.
In addition, the project management also strictly supervised the amount of fish entering the storage and drainage to ensure that the total amount of fish stocked is always within a reasonable range.
Through those carefully studied and on-site ecological protection measures, our project management expects to do its best to maintain the ecological balance within the trunk canal in order to achieve sustainable development while ensuring the safety of the water supply.
Even so, the condition of the fish in the trunk canal has raised concerns about the undisturbed environment for eight years, resulting in fish not only growing in numbers, but also in larger individuals, far beyond what we originally thought.
In the face of such a situation, the project management must maintain a high state of alert at all times, and closely monitor and adjust the fish in the main canal according to the prescribed frequency.
The number and species of all kinds of fish must be accurately calculated, once any abnormality is found, decisive measures such as manual capture should be taken in time to properly dispose of it, relying only on stocking and supervision is far from enough, the project management department also needs to resolutely stop all unauthorized private fishing, because once a large number of fishing enthusiasts pour in, the various types of bait and fish they use will cause serious pollution to the water quality of the main canal, which is undoubtedly the last thing we want to see.
This is the fundamental reason for the strict ban on fishing in the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. After all, the main responsibility of this canal is to deliver high-quality water, not for people to recreational fishing, and not to upset the balance of the entire ecosystem for personal gain.
At the same time, the project management department also planted green vegetation with a width of more than 10 meters on both sides of the main canal, which not only beautified the environment along the way, but more importantly, they can effectively absorb and transform harmful substances in the water, and play a natural purification role.
It is no exaggeration to say that these vegetation acts as an "ecological protective barrier" for the main canals, ensuring that the water transported to the north is always of high quality and clean.
Behind this large-scale project, not only needs strong engineering technical support, but also needs scientific ecological management concepts and strict environmental monitoring measures, as a major livelihood project related to the national economy and people's livelihood, the South-to-North Water Diversion Canal must always do a good job of various protection work to ensure that the water delivered to the north always maintains the highest standard of cleanliness and safety.
Since the South-to-North Water Diversion Project was officially opened in 2014, the project management department has been committed to maintaining the ecological balance of the main canal and investing a lot of energy and resources in implementing various environmental protection measures.
One of the most striking initiatives is the careful selection and stocking of 13 species of native fish in the Danjiangkou Reservoir, which are essential for maintaining the ecological balance.
Among them, silver carp and bighead carp are undoubtedly the most critical "ecological guardians". They feed on impurities, plankton and algae in the water, and can also effectively inhibit pathogenic microorganisms in the water in the process of continuous water purification.
According to relevant data, these two fish species can consume 200 to 400 kilograms of organic matter in the water per year, which plays a crucial role in improving the water quality of the main canal.
In order to ensure that these fish can enter the main canal smoothly, the project management department specially set up a fish trap net at the diversion channel mouth of the Danjiangkou Reservoir.
As a result, large fish from the wild cannot invade the interior of the canal, thus avoiding possible ecological damage.
At the same time, they also strictly control the total amount of fish entering the reservoir and canal to ensure that there are no new problems caused by the overabundance of fish.
These meticulous and effective ecological protection measures fully reflect the great importance that the project management department attaches to the environment of the trunk canal. They are keenly aware that if the ecological balance inside the main canal is disrupted, it will not only affect the quality of the water supply, but may even have catastrophic consequences for the environment of the entire region.
It is precisely because of this deep sense of distress that they are so careful and careful to control the number and variety of fish in the main canal. It is worth mentioning that during the 8-year undisturbed period, these fish not only gradually increased in number, but also became larger and larger, and even an amazing "meter-level" large fish appeared.
In the face of this daunting challenge, it is clear that it is not enough to rely on placement and regulation alone. The project management department also needs to maintain a high level of vigilance at all times, and regularly carry out all-round inspection and control of the fish in the main canal.
If they detect any anomalies, they must quickly take decisive measures, such as hand-fishing, to prevent these large fish from continuing to grow and reproduce, thereby threatening the ecological balance of the dry canal.
At the same time, they must also show no mercy to any unauthorized private fishing, after all, many fishing enthusiasts are not only depriving fish of their thriving stocks, but also risking serious damage to the water quality of the canals with all kinds of bait and feed.
This is undoubtedly the worst thing the project management department wants to bear!
There is no doubt that water quality safety is of paramount importance in this vast and complex water delivery system, and only by ensuring that every drop of water delivered by the main canal meets the highest standards of cleanliness will we be able to achieve our ambitious goal of providing sufficient water for the arid regions of the North.
Because of this, the project management department carefully planted more than 10 meters of green vegetation on both sides of the main canal. These vegetation not only decorate the natural scenery along the route, but more importantly, they play a natural role in purifying water by absorbing and decomposing harmful substances in the water.
There is no doubt that this vegetation acts as an "ecological shield" for the main canals, ensuring that every drop of water delivered to the north remains pure and immaculate.