East China's
Jiangxi Province is pouring 50 million fries
into Poyang Lake, the country's biggest freshwater lake, stage by
stage in a bid to increase the fish stocks.
"The scheme started at the end of May and will end by June 15.
By then all the 50 million fries of silver carp, variegated carp
and grass carp will have been put into the lake," said an official
with the provincial fishery department.
The Poyang Lake, covering 330,000 hectares, has a wealth of
aquatic species and attracts many rare migratory birds. It is also
a major provider of freshwater aquatic products for the
country.
But in recent years, the lake experienced overfishing, water
pollution and illegal sand-digging. The polluting industries
surrounding the lake have also posed threats to its ecological
environment.
Consequently, the number of fish is on decline and the size of
fish gets smaller. Last year, the administration reported a
year-on-year decrease of 50 percent in the fishing capacity.
The Jiangxi Province has imposed its sixth fishing ban on the
lake from March 20 to June 20 this year since 2002, in the hope of
protecting the ecological environment of the lake and ensuring the
sustainable development of the local fishing industry.
(Xinhua News Agency June 11, 2007)
