Chongming: Effective Protection of the Yangtze River

2022-05-30 08:43

This year falls on the second year of the implementation of the Yangtze River Protection Law, China's first special river basin law. Chongming is located at the estuary of the Yangtze River and is also the forefront of Shanghai's active implementation of the Yangtze River Protection Law. What is the effect of the great protection of the Yangtze River since its implementation? How is the progress work in the banning fishing in the Yangtze River Basin? What are the prospects for the future? The reporter paid a visit a few days ago.

 

Xingqiao Food Market is the largest farmers' market in Chongming. It is hard to find the Yangtze River fishes in the market. The aquatic area mainly sells freshwater fishes and seafood. Freshwater fishes are mainly cultivated, and seafood is wholesale from places including Lusi, Jiangsu Province. "After the ban on fishing in the Yangtze River, everyone actively responded to the national policy, and the Yangtze River fishes in the market disappeared." An aquaculture operator told.

 

An endless stream of citizens came to buy fish and shrimp at the aquatic stalls. After two-year publicity, citizens have been familiar with the ban on fishing in the Yangtze River very much. It is generally believed that the cultured fish and shrimp are also delicious and everybody supports the great protection of the Yangtze River.

 

In last March, researchers conducted a fish monitoring in the Yangtze River waters under the jurisdiction of Chongming. Casting the net, they caught countless knife fish weighing 18 kilograms. This was impossible in previous years. Moreover, the finless porpoise, the "giant panda in the water", which faded out of sight in the past, also frequently appeared on the river. "Look, I photographed the finless porpoise, a national first-class protected animal. Those two small black spots on the river in the distance are finless porpoise." In the recent two years, working personnel or citizens have found finless porpoises on the river near Dongfeng Xisha reservoir for many times. Although they were far away, people felt still excited.

 

"Finless porpoise is the barometer of the ecology of the Yangtze River." In the view of relevant industry insiders, this is closely related to the great protection of the Yangtze River in recent years and the ten-year fishery ban plan of the Yangtze River, "The water ecological environment of the Yangtze River continues to improve and the water quality becomes excellent".

 

In fact, long before the ten-year fishery ban plan of the Yangtze River was fully launched, Chongming had already started the work of banning fishing. In 2018, Chongming studied and deployed the work of fishing vessels’ withdrawal. From August 2018, it stopped handling the certificates of fishing vessels in the Yangtze River, and all 179 fishing vessels in the Yangtze River were withdrawn from production waters in the Yangtze River. By the end of 2018, Chongming took the lead in realizing the withdrawal of fishing vessels in the whole region.

 

The guarantee work of fishermen after the withdrawal of fishing vessels has long been implemented. At present, all fishermen who have the ability and the willingness to work have changed their jobs. Some work in enterprises, some are engaged in businesses, and some have even become guardians of the Yangtze River. Peng Haibing, a Chongming man once known as the knife fish king, began to fish and sell fishes in the 1990s. When his business was at its zenith, he had 40 or 50 fishing boats. A few years ago, he gave up the business and set up the "Sturgeon and Dolphin Messenger Alliance" volunteer organization to become a volunteer in the Chinese Sturgeon Nature Reserve.

 

The ban on fishing is just a part of the ecological restoration of the Yangtze River. Judging whether the Yangtze River is healthy or not also depends on its ecosystem status and biological integrity index. To this end, a lot of work is also being carried out simultaneously. In recent years, Chongming has stepped up publicity and law enforcement efforts to effectively protect the Yangtze River" in many aspects from no appearance of freshwater fishes in food markets to minimal species’ recovery.

 

Focusing on the ecological protection of the Yangtze River, Chongming will continue to put the protection and restoration of the ecological environment of the Yangtze River in a more prominent position, and strengthen the restoration and protection of important wetlands, embankments and riverbanks, as well as the protection of aquatic organisms and ecological restoration of water areas of the Yangtze River. All functional departments will continue to carry out the three major actions of "Ship Withdrawal, Shore Clearance and Fighting against Illegal Activities" on the basis of consolidating the achievements of the preliminary work, strengthen the joint logistics linkage between provinces, cities and departments, and fight the protracted war of the "ten-year fishing ban" on the Yangtze River in accordance with the general idea of "having a good beginning and managing well in one year, strengthening the foundation and withstanding it in three years, and practicing esoteric skills and stabilizing in ten years".

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