On December 22, 2017, in Yichang, Hubei Province, near the Yiwan Railway Bridge on the Yangtze River, about 10 fishing boats were parked on the Yangtze River, reflecting the sunset.
The photographer took a close-up shot of the catfish caught by the fishermen.
Two gray-haired fishermen bagged the two catfish they caught and prepared to take them home.
Fishermen say that the catfish in the Yangtze River are about to become extinct, and it is rare to catch one a year. Wild catfish are marketed at 150 yuan a catty, and today 2 were caught, weighing about 4 catties in total and worth about 600 yuan.
Catfish, also known as: long-snouted catfish. Catfish generally live on the bottom of rivers and are also active in the middle and lower layers of water bodies when foraging. In winter, it winters in the crevices of the deep water of the main stream. Catfish are carnivorous fish and feed mainly on small fish and aquatic insects.
According to Yichang Radio and Television News: In order to effectively protect the aquatic biological resources of the Yangtze River and restore the ecological environment of the waters, Yichang City decided to take the lead in implementing a comprehensive ban on fishing in the Yangtze River Basin Aquatic Biological Conservation Area since January 2018.
The specific arrangements are: the Yangtze River Hubei Yichang Chinese Sturgeon Provincial Nature Reserve (Yichang Related Counties and Municipalities) and the Fengzhanghe Endemic Fish National Aquatic Germplasm Resources Conservation Area (Danyang) will implement a total ban on fishing before January 2018.
The China Barbed Catfish National Aquatic Germplasm Resources Conservation Area (Yidu) in the Yidu section of the Qingjiang River, the Qingjiang White Turtle National Aquatic Germplasm Resources Conservation Area (Changyang), and the Sand River China Loach Squid National Aquatic Germplasm Resources Conservation Area (Yuan'an) will be completely banned by August 2018.
After the implementation of a total ban on fishing in the above five protected areas, the protected areas fundamentally withdrew from fishery production, realized the transformation and upgrading of the protected areas, promoted the transformation and restructuring of the Yangtze River fishery, and boosted the construction of ecological civilization in the great protection of the Yangtze River and the waters.
In order to implement the ban on fishing, Yichang City has set up a leading group for the comprehensive prohibition of fishing and established an assessment and notification system for the work of prohibiting fishing. Where the progress of the work is slow and the task cannot be completed on schedule due to prevarication, fraud, or ineffective measures in the work of prohibiting fishing, the responsibility of the relevant responsible persons will be investigated and dealt with.
The Yichang Fisheries Bureau and the Fisheries Administration Department will increase the intensity of inspection and law enforcement, set up public notice boards for complaints and reports, establish work systems such as reporting, acceptance, transfer (transfer), investigation and handling, and reply, and handle reported cases in a lawful, timely and effective manner.
Are wild catfish really worth $150 a catty? Can you afford to eat?