Fishing moratorium helps river recover

After three years of enforced closure, there are now 80 kinds of fish in the Lijiang River, the main waterway in the famous scenic spots of Guilin and Yangshuo.

There were 10 more kinds of fish than reported in 2011, the fishery administration of Yangshuo in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region announced on April 23.

The Fu'an port of Yangshuo used to be a prosperous fish market, but the number of stalls selling fish has dropped. Most of the fish available in the market are artificially reared carp. One fishmonger said: "Nobody fishes in the Lijiang River now. You will not buy any wild fish until the fishing moratorium is finished in the future."

In January, the local fishery administration stepped up its efforts to eliminate all illegal fishing activities. More than 170 fishing families holding bamboo-raft fishing permits get subsidies from the government, which encourages them to plant fruits and look for jobs in the tourism service sector.

Most fishermen of Yangdi, Xingping and Fuli along Lijiang River support the fishing moratorium. Huang Fucheng, a villager in Yangshuo said: "We know it is the breeding season for fish from April to June and nobody fishes during this period of time."