Managing Fisheries Within and After Fishing Bans: The 10-Year Fishing Ban in the Yangtze River

Dusk on the Yangtze River. (Credit: Andrew Hitchcock via Flickr CC BY 2.0)

Fishing bans are a common regulatory tool used by fishery managers and local officials to restrict the exploitation of a water body and use the time to improve the ecosystem. During a fishing ban, this ecosystem improvement may be natural, such as allowing dwindling populations of highly sought-after fish to recover, or human-led, such as habitat restoration or stocking endangered species.

Fishing bans can vary in severity, differing in size, scope, and time. While some involve total fishing pauses, others are simply restrictions on certain practices, equipment, or the targeting of a protected species. In extreme cases, though, a total ban is necessary for ecosystem recovery.

10-Year Fishing Ban in the Yangtze River

Such was the case in the Yangtze River, previously home to 424 fish species and two mammals (baiji dolphin and Yangtze finless porpoise), according to a 2024 article published in The Innovation, written by Haijun Wang, Jun Chen, Puze Wang, Erik Jeppesen, and Ping Xie (Wang et al.).

However, a 2017 survey found only 323 unique fish species, the total loss of the baiji dolphin (functionally extinct in 2007), and an 85% reduction in river fish resources since the 1960s. While still present in the waterway, the Yangtze finless porpoise was also experiencing continuous population declines.

This biodiversity loss and subsequent further declines led the Chinese government to enact a 10-year fishing ban in January 2021. The ban prohibited angling in the main stem of the Yangtze River, its seven tributaries, and the connected lakes, Dongting and Poyang.

Overall, the ban has been successful, with Wang et al. citing the following:

• A slight increase in the finless porpoise population of 1,012 in 2017 and 1,249 in 2022.
• Fish egg and fry counts in 2023 from the Jianli monitoring section in the middle reaches of the Yangtze reached 6 billion in total–4.4 times higher than those in 2020.
• In Lake Poyang, 93 fish species were identified, and there were notable population increases among the four domestic carp.
• In the Chishui River (a tributary of the Yangtze), 11 endemic species were found after many years of disappearance.

While the river has shown some recovery, there is debate whether the ban alone is enough to reverse the situation—particularly since overfishing only contributed 30% of the total fish decline, with human activities (damming, transportation/shipping, reclamation, etc.) contributing heavily.

Managing Fish During and After Bans

Noting this, Wang et al. proposes that additional management steps need to be taken in order to improve conditions in the river. Management practices may expand outside of the Yangtze but will support the river ecosystem overall.

For example, one unexpected result of the ban was its expansion into almost all adjacent isolated lakes, where fish resources were already abundant. This has led to an overabundance of fish in isolated lakes, which in turn has led to overcrowding and declines in water quality.

To kill two birds with one stone, Wang et al. state that fish could be released from these overcrowded lakes into the river through an appropriate opening of the river-lake sluices. This would alleviate some of the stressors in the isolated lakes, increase river fish resources, and support megafaunas like finless porpoises.

They propose the following plan:

1. During 2025-2030 (the remaining time of the ten-year ban), release 2/3 of the fish in the isolated lakes into the river each year. 1/3 will remain in the lakes.
2. From 2031-2050, catch 1/3 of the fish in the lakes and 1/3 in the river. 2/3 should remain in the river.
3. Halt fish stocking in the isolated lakes to allow natural turnover and prevent overcrowding as much as possible.

This plan uses the time remaining in the ban to add fish to the Yangtze and increase fish resources, followed by a sustainable fishing approach once angling has resumed.

Historical changes in fish catch and finless porpoise number in the Yangtze River and recommendations for fish resource management in the river-lakes ecosystem from 2025 to 2050. (Credit: Wang et al., 2024)

Conclusion

The goal of any fishing ban is to improve populations and general ecosystem health during the restricted period. In the case of the Yangtze River, Wang et al. states that some interference is required to see more substantial improvements and protect neighboring lakes.

Of course, because the Yangtze, like other rivers, is subject to a wide range of human activities that impact biodiversity and water quality, plans like those described above may need to be adjusted to yield the best results. What is most important is that monitoring of the river continues and that any future intervention is informed by data.