Fishing ban helps aquatic biodiversity recover significantly

By Shen Yuan, Yichang International Communication Studio

The aquatic ecological environment of the Yichang section of the Yangtze River has seen significant improvements thanks to the finishing ban implemented in 2020, according to the Yichang Fishery Administration. The annual natural reproduction of fish increased to 15.1 billion units in 2022, more than 10 times what it was before the fishing ban.

The Yichang section of the Yangtze River is a natural breeding ground for many species of fish such as Chinese sturgeon, bluegill, grass carp, silver carp and bighead carp. This area has a lot of spawning grounds, baiting grounds, overwintering grounds and migratory pathways for the aquatic animals, making it a crucial part of the Yangtze River ecosystem.

The annual natural reproduction rate of fish in the Yichang section of the Yangtze River was less than 1 billion before the ban, the administration said. The natural population of finless porpoise grew from about 15 in 2017 to more than 20 in 2022. The population of Chinese high-fin banded shark has significantly rebounded. The spotting frequency of the ochetobius elongatus kner increased from “rare” to “common.”

Finless porpoise. Photo by Zhu Baoying (竺宝英)

There are more than 400 species of fish in the Yangtze River, with an average reproductive cycle of three to four years. A species’ full recovery usually takes three reproductive cycles, which adds up to about 10 years. At present, the small fish species, such as crucian carp, bream, Mandarin fish and meal strips, have had the quickest recovery thanks to their shorter reproductive cycles. The larger fish, such as green, grass, silver and bighead carp, have completed only one reproductive cycle.