Fisherman changes his job to safeguard sea turtles
Print Edition
Liang Feng gave up his centuries-long family tradition of fishing, to accept a new job as island chief of Sansha in the South China Sea, one of China’s youngest cities.
The island chief is a job appointed by the Sansha government to control pollutant discharge, protect sea turtles and restore the environment.
Sansha piloted the mechanism in Qilianyu Islands, which cover an area of 1.2 square kilometers. Liang is among the first batch of eight island chiefs in Qilianyu and guards Zhaoshu Island.
Liang’s daily work involves checking if there is coral reef damage, serious coastline erosion and illegal tourism, as well as protecting the sea turtles who lay eggs on the island. “Besides, I need to keep an eye on illegal fishing,” he said.
There is a Chinese saying: if you live near the ocean, you rely on it to raise your family. Liang’s family has long lived on Zhaoshu Island and made a living from fishing.
However, fishermen have noticed the subtle changes of the island — the color loss of the beautiful coral, coastline erosion and a decreasing number of sea turtles.
“Sea turtles are very sensitive to environmental change. The deteriorating environment affected their life and hatching,” said Zou Zhi, another island chief in Qilianyu Islands.
Since the establishment of Sansha city in 2012, the city government has intensified measures to improve the environment of the islands.
The local government also convinced fishermen who had long lived on the islands to make career changes and devote more to marine conservation.
Liang organized a guard team consisting of 15 fishermen to conduct routine patrols, collect ocean garbage, trim plants and dispose of sewage and construction waste.
Now 33 people have given up fishing on Zhaoshu Island and most of them devote themselves to island environmental conservation. “I hope that the remaining fishermen will go ashore one day and protect the ocean that we relied on for generations,” Liang said.
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