By Han Yang, Research Department of Rural Economy, DRC & Yi Yanrong, Yangtze River Fisheries Administration, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of PRC

Research Report, No.117, 2018 (Total 5392) 2018-7-30

Abstract: In recent years, the Yangtze River has suffered from prominent problems such as decline in species diversity of aquatic organisms, reduction of fish resources, and deterioration of the living environment of aquatic organisms. The main reasons are as follows. The projects construction and coastal sewage discharge have damaged the living environment of aquatic biological resources; overfishing has aggravated the reduction of fish resources; the current treatment measures lack financial support and corresponding measures; and the River’s vast cross-provincial basin areas and the multi-pronged management have increased the difficulty of comprehensive treatment for related authorities at provincial and municipal level. We believe that the key to solving the problem of rapid decline of aquatic resources and deterioration of environment in the Yangtze River region is to follow the guidance of General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping’s instruction of making all-out efforts to protect the overall environment, and forbidding large-scale development and that mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, and grasslands belong to the same life community.We need to take special actions to restore aquatic resources and environment as soon as possible, establish the compensation system for fishermen in the non-fishing period and non-fishing areas in key regions along the Yangtze River and also the compensation system for aquatic environment caused by engineering projects. Furthermore, we need to adopt differentiated governance according to different natural conditions and ecological characteristics of aquatic resources in the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Key words: Yangtze River Economic Zone, aquatic organism, resource restoration, environmental protection