Winter fishing kicks off at ecological reservoir in SW China's Chongqing

Fishermen enjoy bumper harvest at Liaoye Reservoir in southwest China's Chongqing municipality. (People's Daily Online/Zou Le)

Since the fishing ban in the Yangtze, Jialing and Wujiang rivers was implemented, southwest China’s Chongqing municipality has made remarkable progress in ensuring fish supplies for local residents. Recently, the fishery base in the Liaoye Reservoir initiated its winter fishing plan. Some 15,000 kilograms of bighead carp were caught, among which 200 fish exceeded 25 kilograms each, with the heaviest one reaching a whopping 43.5 kilograms.

Since 2020, a complete 10-year fishing ban has been in place in the Yangtze River. To ensure supplies in the fishery market, the Chongqing Water Conservancy Investment Group rolled out a plan to encourage ecologically-friendly fisheries in reservoirs. According to the plan, as of 2025, over 200 reservoirs are expected to be used for raising fish, covering over 400,000 mu (around 26,667 hectares) of aquiculture area, and with a total output value that is projected to reach as much as 1 billion yuan ($157 million).