Starting from January 1, 2021, the main stream of the Yangtze River, large lakes and important tributaries, as well as natural waters other than aquatic life nature reserves and aquatic germplasm resources protection areas, officially began to implement the 10-year fishing ban plan of the Yangtze River, during which productive fishing of natural fishery resources is prohibited. According to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on February 10, 2021, 111,000 fishing boats and 231,000 fishermen returned to land.
The ban is due to overfishing in the Yangtze River basin, which harms the river's biodiversity and economic fish production.
The Yangtze River is one of the most biodiverse rivers in the world, supporting 424 species of fish, including 183 endemic species, and is one of the seven most biodiverse rivers in the world. However, according to the results of the 2018 Yangtze River freshwater dolphin expedition, the population of the only remaining mammal finless porpoise in the Yangtze River is only 1,012. This number was 1,800 in 2006. In a 2017-2019 survey of the Yangtze River's fishery resources and environment, experts found that 130 historically distributed fish species failed to collect samples. To make matters worse, there is no natural reproduction of rare fish such as the Chinese sturgeon, the Yangtze sturgeon, the cochineal, and the Sichuan-Shaanxi salmon.
In addition to diversity, the Yangtze River's economic fish stocks are also gradually depleted. Before 1954, the annual catch of fish in the Yangtze reached 427,000 tonnes, but by the 80s, the catch had dropped to only about 200,000 tonnes. In recent years, despite the release of a large number of fish, the results have not been good, and the catch is even less than 100,000 tons. The number of seedlings of the more common herring, grass carp, silver carp and bighead carp has dropped from 129.1 billion in 1965 to more than one billion today.
The reason why the Yangtze River fishing ban should be banned for 10 years is precisely because the main economic fish in the Yangtze River, represented by the four major fish, "green, grass, silver carp and bighead carp", have a sexual maturity time of 3-4 years, and the 10-year fishing ban will enable these fish to reproduce for 2-3 generations. This will restore the Yangtze River's fishery resources and alleviate the shortage of fish in the Yangtze River, which in turn will bring hope for the conservation of many flagship species, including the Yangtze finless porpoise.
The ban on fishing in the Yangtze River is also to protect the sustainable development of the artificial aquaculture industry. The fish in the fish pond are the offspring of a few pairs of broodstock, and after long-term inbreeding, the genes will degenerate and become susceptible to disease, so there must be wild fish to improve their genetic resources. Therefore, to let the people eat fish for a longer time and eat better fish, we must also protect the Yangtze River, a natural genetic resource bank.
After the complete ban on fishing in the Yangtze River, according to the relevant assessment results, the aquatic life integrity index of the main stream of the Yangtze River, Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake has been increased by two levels from the worst "no fish" before the fishing ban. In 2022, the Yangtze finless porpoise population reached 1,249, an increase of 237 from the 2017 census.
According to industry estimates, ten years later, the spawning of the Yangtze River's "four major fish" will rebound to 20 billion to 30 billion, but even then it will only reach 30% of the level of the 60s of the 20th century, and the recovery of many endangered species will be more difficult.
However, it is interesting to note that recreational sport fishing and recreational fishing activities are prohibited in the no-fishing zones across the country, and fishing is also prohibited in the Yangtze River.
The "Opinions on Strengthening the Law Enforcement and Management of the Fishing Ban in the Yangtze River Basin" has the following content: strengthen the management of recreational fishing. All localities should comprehensively consider the situation of aquatic biological resources in the region and the reasonable needs of the public for recreational fishing, formulate and publish fishing management measures, delineate the scope of permitted fishing areas in accordance with the law, reasonably control the overall scale of fishing, and strictly limit fishing tackle, fishing methods, and bait. In principle, the number of fishing tackle is allowed to use a maximum of one rod and one hook, and it is forbidden to use boats, rafts and other floating objects for fishing within the scope and time of the ban on fishing in key waters of the Yangtze River Basin, standardize the variety, quantity and specification of the catch, prohibit the listing and trading of fishing catches, and avoid adverse effects on the management of the fishing ban and the protection of resources. Fishing should be included in the scope of daily law enforcement and management of fishery administration, and localities with conditions should take the lead in exploring the implementation of a licensed fishing management system, and guide the public to participate in fishing activities for the purpose of leisure and recreation in an orderly and standardized manner.
So, why can't you help but fish with one rod and one hook?
Many people think that the water is full of fish, and an earthworm can pull a big fish out of the water. But in fact, wild water bodies, in general, the distribution of fish is sparse, and fishing is necessary to make nests. The so-called nesting is to put fish feed in the place where fishing is prepared to attract the fish, so that the fish are more likely to be hooked. The more feed you use for nesting, the more fish you will attract, and the more likely you are to catch a fish. Even if you are a master fisherman, even if you are fishing in a commercial fish pond, you must prepare a bunch of feed for nesting. The reason why fishing is closed to fishing in no-fishing areas is because there are fewer fish resources than in the ordinary wild, and it is even more impossible to catch fish, especially big fish, without nesting in such places.
According to the incomplete statistics of fishing enthusiasts, or estimates, the average ratio of fish to meat is about 10 to 1. That is to say, 10 catties of feed are used up to catch a catty of fish. Many novices or people with bad luck will even use up dozens of catties of feed to make a nest before they catch a catty. In artificial breeding, the ratio of fish to meat is 1.6-2 to 1, that is, 1.6-2 catties of feed are put in the fish pond, and finally, one catty of fish can be harvested.
This means that the feed put into the water will eventually be eaten by the fish, and the nutritional status of the fish can be improved, and the dozens of catties of feed will become fish meat in a ratio of 1.6-2 to 1. This fish meat may be a small fish that has grown into a big fish, or it may be that a large fish has given birth to fry. So, the person who fishes, not so much fishing, is feeding the fish. As long as it is a person, a line, a rod and a hook, then their fishing behavior in the prohibited area is essentially helping the country raise fish for free.
Someone made up a joke: for the fish, every time the fish sacrifice some old, weak, sick and disabled fish, and then every day a nesting immortal will bring them endless bait. Every time the nesting immortal comes, the patriarch of the fish will say: Come on, quickly tie these two fish to the sacrificial hook, otherwise, the nesting immortal will be disappointed, and next time he will not give us food, which of you can bear this responsibility?
• (This article is the author's personal opinion and does not represent the position of this newspaper)
Liu Yuanju
Editor-in-charge: Chen Bin