AsianScientist (Jul. 12, 2011) – Around 1.3 billion tiny fish were released into the Yangtze river in China today in an attempt to ‘repair’ fishing resources affected by the recent drought, reports the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Ministry of Agriculture officials told the news agency that among the fish released were mainly black carps, grass carps, chubs, and big-head carps.
The rebuilding effort will also include planting of 9,000 hectares of water weeds as well as dispersal of 21 million shellfish, Xinhua reported.
The project was launched by the ministry and five provinces – Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui and Jiangsu – at the middle and lower reaches of the river, which contribute to about half of the country’s output of freshwater products.
A drought during late spring and early summer led to a precipitous drop in the water levels of the middle and lower Yangtze River, damaging the river’s ecological environment.
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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine.
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