In 2020, the state issued a "10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River", which put enormous pressure on fishermen in Three Gorges Village. The ban has deprived fishermen of their traditional means of livelihood, with young fishermen choosing to work in the cities, while the elderly and disabled rely on state assistance. However, Mr. Zhao, a fisherman, did not give up, and he learned Xi new techniques and opened a farmhouse, applying his fish-making skills to the restaurant industry. As time passed, fishermen gradually found new livelihoods, and the fish in the Yangtze River began to restore their ecological balance, bringing new hope to the Three Gorges.
However, as the number of squid increases, fishermen are beginning to worry about its impact. Known as the "water tiger", the squid is known for its ferocious carnivorous nature. Villagers fear that they will impact the ecology of the Three Gorges, eat up other fish or threaten the dam's structural safety. In order to find out the truth, the village committee decided to invite aquatic experts to investigate.
The survey found that at present, the squid in the Three Gorges area is mainly in the breeding cycle, and some individuals will migrate to the upstream for short-distance spawning, which is the normal reproductive Xi of the squid. The monitoring data showed that except for short-term aggregation during the spawning period, the density of carp in the Three Gorges area was not significantly abnormal, and the number of edible fish such as carp and crucian carp, whose main food, remained stable. The survey report clearly states that the current increase in the number of squid is only due to its natural breeding cycle, and is not considered overbreeding. Experts recommend that monitoring should continue to be strengthened, and that appropriate fishing measures should be considered only if the continued high density of squid in the future leads to a decline in other fish species.
The experts' views are shared by some villagers, who believe that ecosystems are self-regulating and do not require human intervention. However, some villagers are skeptical, arguing that experts do not know the actual situation in the Three Gorges and are concerned about the effects of overbreeding of squid. After intense discussions, the village council decided to settle a compromise that would both trust the ecosystem and strengthen regulation. They decided to strengthen the monitoring of changes in the squid while trusting the ecosystem, and if there is a clear trend of growth, they will moderately organize fishing for artificial control to prevent their numbers from getting out of control and causing damage to the environment.
Based on the results of the survey and discussion, we can conclude that the 10-year fishing ban plan for the Yangtze River has made positive progress in restoring fishery resources. However, there is also concern about the excessive number of carnivorous fish such as squid. In response to this problem, the following measures can be taken: First, the fishing ban should be appropriately relaxed to allow fishermen to carry out fishing to a limited extent, so as to control the population of predatory fish such as squid. Second, we should intensify efforts to reduce sewage outlets into rivers and improve the living environment of fish. At the same time, there is a need to continue to strengthen monitoring and scientific surveys and to enrich the aquatic life database. Finally, experts and fishermen work together to formulate future fishery development plans, rationally allocate fishery resources, and achieve sustainable development.
Only in the case of cooperation with the villagers can we achieve the harmony and unity of protection and development, so that the increase of fishermen's income and the growth of fish can be compatible, and a better tomorrow for the Three Gorges can be realized.