2 | Thursday, July 8, 2021 GLOBAL EDITION | CHINA DAILY PAGE TWO 10-year ban along Chishui nets welcome rise in fish populations

By HOU LIQIANG in Beijing and YANG JUN in Guiyang

The Chishui River, a major tributary of the Yangtze, has witnessed significant ris- es in its fish population since a ban on fishing was introduced more than four years ago. According to a media release from the Guizhou Department of Agriculture, “Fishery resources on the Chishui have been restored very quickly, with signifi- cant rises in both population and average size.” Monitoring data show that the number of endemic species in the tributary has ris- en from 32 to 37, the release stated, quot- ing a report from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Hydrobiology. It said the trend of the fish population becoming younger and smaller had been effectively curbed along the waterway, the vast majority of which runs through Guiz- Cyclists ride alongside the Chishui River in Renhuai city, Guizhou province. chen yong / for china daily hou province. For example, the average weight of Spinibarbus sinensis — a fish species endemic to China — has risen from 336.9 grams to 492.5 grams, according to the department. River: Quality of water improves There has also been a marked rise in the number of Chinese sucker fish, an endan- gered species under State protection in China, it said. From page 1 The river’s water was so dirty that few day and also at night to see if there are ship has risen to more than 500, with each With no dams along its length, the residents wanted to take part in a boat people fishing illegally.” member paying an annual fee of 200 Chishui is the last free-flowing tributary The environmental protection society race he organized during Spring Festival A liquor dealer with flexible working yuan. on the upper reaches of the Yangtze. Flow- was formed in Wuma township in 2017 in 2017, Luo said. This made him and his hours, Yang said he patrols the river ing for 436.5 kilometers, it rises in Yunnan with just 21 members. friends more determined to establish the whenever he is free. Efforts succeed province and joins the Yangtze in Sichuan Luo Guohong, 52, its founder, said environmental organization. “As long as I am not away from the The persistent efforts of Yang and his province. schools of fish were once a common sight The first thing members of the society township, I will do this,” he said, adding colleagues have paid off, as many people Home to more than 160 species of fish, in the clear waters of the Wuma River. did after it was formed was to advocate an that he sometimes drags himself out of who used to be indifferent toward envi- the tributary is key to biodiversity conser- However, in the 1990s, booming coal environmentally friendly lifestyle by bed late at night if he receives a call telling ronmental protection have become active vation in the Yangtze River Basin. mining and papermaking industries in using loudspeakers fixed to cars and to him that someone is fishing illegally. participants in the society’s work. According to the Guizhou Department the area left the waterway heavily pollut- hand out leaflets in local communities for In the small hours one morning in July, Liu Shunli is one of them. In late Sep- of Agriculture, the achievements made are ed, he said. There used to be 278 paper- nearly a month. They often performed 2018, Yang was punched in the head when tember, 2017, he was given one month’s due to a series of measures taken by the making factories in the township, which such tasks during hot weather that left he tried to stop a man who was breaching criminal detention for catching fish by province to step up conservation of fishery had a population of more than 30,000, them bathed in sweat. the fishing ban. His injuries were so seri- using electricity. Now a member of the resources following the fishing ban in the Luo added. Their approach was so unusual to many ous that he required 15 stitches. The man society, the 43-year-old often patrols the Yangtze River Basin. Thanks to efforts by local authorities to villagers at the time that the team was responsible was given 15 days’ criminal river at night after finishing his work as a A 10-year fishing moratorium was intro- shut down polluting enterprises and referred to by some residents as “a group detention after Yang reported the case to decorator. duced on the Chishui, which lies in the divert wastewater to sewage disposal of people with a mental illness who don’t police. “When I was in detention, it gave me Basin, on Jan 1, 2017, before being extend- plants with the help of an upgraded net- know what to do after they fill their stom- Yang remained determined to continue time to reflect. I was moved by those ed to all natural waterways along the work of sewer pipes, water quality in the achs”, Luo said. efforts to restore the river’s water quality members of the society who volunteer to Yangtze at the beginning of this year. river greatly improved, Luo said. to its former level. patrol the river,” he said, adding that he Authorities in Guizhou decommis- Despite this positive development, Luo Illegal fishing tackled “During my childhood, the fish occa- joined the organization soon after being sioned 331 licensed fishing boats and and his friends found that before they Undaunted, the team members quickly sionally leaped out of the water,” he said. released. closed all floating restaurants selling wild established the society, weak environ- demonstrated how serious they were in Relatives and friends gave Yang a total Liu said he used to fish for fun, as he river fish along the Chishui. mental protection awareness among resi- promoting environmental protection by of about 8,000 yuan ($1,238) in cash when considered that the fish did not belong to Guizhou also established a whistle- dents was a major factor hindering local placing themselves at the forefront of a they visited him in the hospital, but he anyone. The environmental organiza- blowing mechanism to report illegal fish- improvement efforts. crackdown on illegal fishing. donated the money to the society to sup- tion’s advocacy not only changed his view, ing. The public can report such cases and Illegal fishing frequently occurred and On Jan 1, 2017, a 10-year fishing morato- port its work. In many areas nationwide, but also those of many others. “Now, we sales of wild river fish via WeChat, email many people continued to dump waste rium was introduced on the Chishui River, it is customary for people to take cash know it’s wrong,” Liu said. and hotlines. and discharge domestic sewage randomly making it the first tributary of the Yangtze gifts when they visit hospital patients. The society’s influence extends far In addition to regularly releasing the fry into the waterway. where fishing was banned. The prohibi- After hearing Yang’s story, some resi- beyond Wuma. To date, at least another of rare fish, artificial fish nests covering a “Waste could be seen almost every- tion was extended on Jan 1 this year to all dents handed in their fishing equipment 20 grassroots environmental organiza- total area of more than 5,000 square where in the river,” said Luo, who worked the Yangtze’s natural waterways. to the local government and applied to be tions have been established elsewhere in meters have been established in Guizhou, as an auxiliary police officer for more than Yang Liemeng, a founding member of members of the environmental organiza- Renhuai county, according to the local and 300,000 Chinese sucker fish were 20 years before resigning from the post the society who is now in charge of the tion. environmental watchdog. released into the Chishui on June 6. after the society was formed. patrol work, said, “We operate during the According to the society, its member- In late June last year, a city-level envi- The department said it now monitors ronmental protection society was estab- the Chishui’s fishery resources 60 times a lished in Zunyi with 300,000 yuan in year. However, it added that more efforts support from the local government. The are needed to address sporadic occurren- new organization’s membership includes ces of illegal fishing in the Chishui River the Wuma society. Basin. Currently operating mainly in Renhai, As well as stepping up law enforcement the city-level society aims to cover all are- patrols by various government bodies, as of Zunyi in an effort to tap potential in Guizhou will accelerate construction of an contributing to environmental conserva- intelligent surveillance system to auto- tion, according to Wu Zhengwen, deputy matically report suspected illegal fishing director of the organization’s office. and sand mining, the department said. In Wuma, marked environmental It added that the province will carry out improvements can be seen. joint law enforcement operations with Liu said: “The river used to be dirty and Yunnan and Sichuan to crack down on its foul smell could be detected far away. illegal cross-regional fishing activities. Sometimes it was even dotted with dead More coordinated joint efforts are pigs. Residents upstream threw whatever planned in the three provinces, whose leg- waste they had into the water.” islatures in late May approved a decision Now, there is almost no waste in the riv- to jointly bolster efforts to protect the er, let alone dead pigs, he said, adding that Chishui River Basin. he has seen the population of crucian carp The provinces will further promote a in the waterway rise significantly — a rare damage compensation system to protect occurrence in the past due to rampant and improve the Basin’s environment and illegal fishing. work together to restore mountains, Guo Xiaoyong, deputy head of the waterways, forests, farmland, lakes and Wuma society, said one of the aims in grassland. launching it was to promote coordinated development of the local agriculture and tourism industries in the township. This goal has been achieved to a certain extent. Thanks to environmental improve- ments, some local agricultural produce, such as vegetables and fruit, is now exported as green produce. The township also boasts four large rural resorts, while the river attracts at least 7,000 visitors a day. “The river, which runs through the township, has become something of a local attraction,” Guo added.

Zhao Yandi in Guiyang contributed to this story. Top left and above: Members of the Wuma Environmental Protection Society patrol the Wuma River, a tributary of the Chishui River in Guizhou. photos provided to china daily Top right: Yinshui village in Renhuai is situated in a mountainous Contact the writers at Great egrets inhabitat the Chishui area. guo kunlin / for china daily [email protected] River. wang yugui / for china daily