Fishing Got Banned, so Biodiversity Boosted!

A ten-year fishing ban is boosting biodiversity in China’s Yangtze River.

2023 saw 227 native fish species living in the river, an increase of 34 when compared to the year prior. The state is also now protecting 14 of these aquatic wild species, an increase of three.

The fishing ban was implemented in 2021 to improve the river’s natural biodiversity. Following the ban, all aquatic biological resources have shown a trend toward positive recovery: notably, resource density in the main stream has increased by 16.7 per cent, and China’s four major carps have reached a population of 5.98 billion, 4.4 times the amount before the ban. With years to go before the ban is up, it looks like the Yangtze River will continue to see positive trends for its aquatic friends.