CCTV News (News Network): As a landmark project to jointly protect the Yangtze River, the ten-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River has entered its fourth year this year. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the ban on fishing in the Yangtze River is an important decision for the overall situation and for future generations. Keeping in mind the entrustment of the General Secretary, the provinces and cities along the Yangtze River continue to promote the restoration of aquatic biodiversity in the Yangtze River, and strive to ensure the employment and livelihood of retired fishermen. During this period, the reporter went deep into both sides of the Yangtze River to record the important phased results of the fishing ban work and the solid actions of the cadres and the masses to unswervingly promote the ten-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River.
Walking along the Yangtze River, researchers have found many gratifying phenomena.
In the southern source of the Yangtze River, a new habitat of small-headed nudibranched schiria has been discovered, with a population of about 30,000 fish, providing valuable data for the protection of aquatic ecology.
In the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, tracking shows that the successful entry rate of artificially restocked Chinese sturgeons has increased from about 45% to more than 60%. The trend of fish miniaturization and younger age in Poyang Lake has been curbed, and the habitat living environment has been improved.
In the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, since March this year, the first large-scale migration of wild Chinese mitten crabs has occurred at the mouth of the Qinhuai River in Nanjing, and the population has increased significantly.
The recovery of aquatic biological resources has witnessed the phased results of the Yangtze River in the past ten years and more than three years of fishing ban.
The implementation of the 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River is an important decision made by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core from the long-term interests of the Chinese nation. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the general secretary has repeatedly inspected and investigated along the Yangtze River to learn more about the implementation of the ten-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River.
According to the plan, from January 1, 2021, a ten-year fishing ban will be implemented in the main stream of the Yangtze River, large rivers and lakes, important tributaries and some waters of the Yangtze River estuary, and productive fishing of natural fishery resources will be prohibited all year round. In the more than three years since the fishing ban began, assessments have shown that the aquatic life integrity index of the main stream of the Yangtze River and Poyang and Dongting lakes has increased by two levels from the worst "no fish" before the fishing ban. In 2022, the number of finless porpoises in the Yangtze River will reach 1,249, achieving a historic rebound. The water quality of the main stream of the Yangtze River has maintained Class II for four consecutive years.
Only by implementing a 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River and solving the problems of production and life of fishermen after they go ashore can the fishing ban have a stable and solid social foundation.
More than 30,000 fishermen in Anhui who have retired from fishing and switched to production have received employment training under the guidance of the government. In Dangtu County, free learning of breeding techniques and breeding ecological crabs has become a new choice for retired fishermen.
In Yueyang, Hunan Province, which owns more than 60% of the waters of Dongting Lake, the government helped landed fishermen build farms, develop the air-dried fish industry, and led them to learn how to live broadcast goods to broaden their sales channels.
On Tangyin Island in Poyang Lake, where fishermen have returned to land, the local government is exploring and planning to use its unique natural resources to develop the tourism industry on the premise of continuing to protect the ecology. Over the past three years, the relevant departments have set up records and cards for 231,000 retired fishermen one by one, and improved the level of employment and social security through multiple channels.
Since the implementation of the 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River, provinces and cities along the Yangtze River have worked together to tackle tough problems and make long-term contributions, and the protection of the Yangtze River has continued to advance in depth and continue to consolidate the results of the fishing ban. In the next step, the provinces and cities along the Yangtze River will also strengthen the restoration of important habitats for aquatic organisms, establish dynamic and precise assistance services for fishermen who have retired from fishing, and improve cross-regional and cross-departmental law enforcement cooperation mechanisms to ensure that the clear water of the river will continue for future generations and benefit the people.
Source: CCTV