Home
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more »Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
Novel responses in food waste campaign
Creating a level playing field in the world of work
Sunday
- Subscribe
Related News
Fish attack algae bloom
Source: Xinhua |
February 21, 2009, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
MILLIONS of algae-eating fish fry are being released into China's third-largest freshwater lake, Taihu, in a campaign to try to stop the blue-green algae bloom.
The 2,400-square-kilometer lake is a major source of drinking water in east China's Jiangsu Province. Blue-green algae choked the lake in 2007, reducing drinking water supplies to 2 million residents in Wuxi City.
About 10 million fish such as silver carp and grass carp will be released, said Lin Jianhua, head of the Taihu Lake Fishing Administration.
He said the campaign, the largest of its kind, will cost 7.4 million yuan (US$1.08 million) in government funds and public donations.
He said sewage pollution had been largely reduced through years of efforts but it was still a problem.
The province spent 5 billion yuan to build 3,500 kilometers of sewage pipes, which had stopped much direct sewage discharge into the Taihu Lake Basin, according to provincial environmental authorities.
More than 170 sewage plants had been built or were under construction in the basin, with a total daily disposal capacity of 4 million tons by the end of 2008.
Lin said the lake administration had also shut down 78 percent of fish-breeding activities, which was a major source of the nitrogen that fed the algae growth.
"The biological treatment using the algae digestion ability of the fish is expected to fundamentally rehabilitate the lake," he said.
He said a silver carp could consume 50 kilograms of algae and plankton in gaining 1kg in weight.
The 2,400-square-kilometer lake is a major source of drinking water in east China's Jiangsu Province. Blue-green algae choked the lake in 2007, reducing drinking water supplies to 2 million residents in Wuxi City.
About 10 million fish such as silver carp and grass carp will be released, said Lin Jianhua, head of the Taihu Lake Fishing Administration.
He said the campaign, the largest of its kind, will cost 7.4 million yuan (US$1.08 million) in government funds and public donations.
He said sewage pollution had been largely reduced through years of efforts but it was still a problem.
The province spent 5 billion yuan to build 3,500 kilometers of sewage pipes, which had stopped much direct sewage discharge into the Taihu Lake Basin, according to provincial environmental authorities.
More than 170 sewage plants had been built or were under construction in the basin, with a total daily disposal capacity of 4 million tons by the end of 2008.
Lin said the lake administration had also shut down 78 percent of fish-breeding activities, which was a major source of the nitrogen that fed the algae growth.
"The biological treatment using the algae digestion ability of the fish is expected to fundamentally rehabilitate the lake," he said.
He said a silver carp could consume 50 kilograms of algae and plankton in gaining 1kg in weight.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
