Fishermen turn the tide for rare carp
Print Edition
FORTY years ago, Li Yifan would net more than 100 Przewalki’s naked carp a day. Now, he and fellow volunteers are saving the fish, which have become endangered after decades of overfishing.
The species of carp, known in China as huangyu, is endemic to the Qinghai Lake, China’s largest inland saltwater lake. It is the dominant of five native species of fish in the lake on the Qinghai Plateau.
From late May to mid-August every year, the carp swim upstream to three freshwater rivers to spawn, with migration peaking in late June. Volunteers rescue carp that become stranded as small tributaries can dry up during their journey.
In 2015, Li and eight villagers from Gangca County set up a team of volunteers to protect the carp. “Previously we caught them, now we save them. It’s retribution for our actions,” Li said.
As a result of rampant fishing, the lake’s carp stock plunged from its peak of 320,000 tons in the 1950s to just 2,600 tons in 2001.
Illegal fishing persists
The fish was listed on the China Species Red List in 2004 due to overfishing and habitat loss. Fishing has been prohibited in the lake for the past 17 years, however, illegal fishing persists.
“The lake is so huge and the fishermen are cunning. Law enforcement can’t deal with them on their own,” said Norrigsang, a herdsman who used his own money to found a patrol to catch people fishing illegally.
He recalled an incident in January 2013, when the seven-member team was attacked by a group of more than 100 fishermen.
Thanks to the increased efforts of volunteers and intensified law enforcement, illegal fishing has been dramatically reduced since 2014.
The local government is also working to restore the fish population by helping them spawn.
Several years ago, the Gangca government dismantled a 2-meter dam on the Shaliu River and built 18 steps in its place to assist the fish migration. Last year, it spent 8.5 million yuan (US$1.25 million) building 21 steps on the Quanji River.
But assisting migration is only part of the battle, also needed is an increase in fertilization rates, The success rate for natural fertilization is extremely low, as the sperm of male carp only survive for 20 seconds in the water, said carp rescue center official Zhou Weiguo.
“With such low fertilization rates we can’t increase the population of the endangered species,” Zhou said.
In 2001, fishery workers began an artificial insemination program. They hatch fertilized eggs at the center and raise the young fish, or fry, in tanks for a year before releasing them into the lake.
Since 2002, more than 100 million captive-bred carp fry have been released, with an 85 percent survival rate. Last year, the stock of carp in the lake was estimated at 70,800 tons.
- 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号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 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.
