On March 6, CBCGDF’s Oppose Electro Fishing Union (OEFU) set off again and actively interacted with the fishery law enforcement departments of Zigong and Neijiang to jointly conduct spring fishing bans. In the process of patrolling the Zigong area in the morning, volunteers and fishery officials seized and cleared more than 30 illegal sticky nets. The results of the “battles” were a lot , but they all happen to be very sad results. The volunteers said, “These sticky nets can fill one minivan.” In the process of cleaning the sticky nets, the volunteers also released more than 10 kilograms of trapped fish. “A lot of fish are dead because these fishermen have too many sticky nets. It is estimated that they were too late to clean up, and many are stuck on the nets.”
 
In the afternoon patrol in Neijiang City, OEFU joined by the fishery departments of Zigong and Neijiang, based on feedback received from the volunteers, focused their investigation on the rivers in Weiyuan County, Neijiang City, as of 4.30 p.m, the patrolling staff found more than 10 “earthworm nets”, “They are all along the river (the nets). And almost 40 catties of fish been released,” Said the OEFU’s volunteers.

With the official opening of the four-month Spring Fishing Ban in the Yangtze River basin, local fishery authorities have also launched a rapid and effective special synchronous law enforcement campaign under the unified deployment of the Ministry of Agriculture. On March 1st the first day of the spring fishing ban, CBCGDF’s Oppose Electro Fishing Union found illegal fishing and illegal electric fish vessels while patrolling near the Huanggehao power station in Fushun County, Zigong, and informed the fishery authorities immediately. During this period, the cunning boat owner tried to hide the electric fish equipment and escaped from the fishery’s tracking, but was eventually captured.
 
Sichuan Province has many rivers and it is a province with a particularly rich inland fishery resources in China. However, the illegal fishing issue such as using electric fishing methods and“earthworm nets” is not optimistic. On January 28, CBCGDF sent a letter to the Sichuan Provincial Department of Agriculture to put forward three suggestions on the serious illegal fishing matter in Sichuan Province, hope that the river system would be implemented effectively, strict supervision and punishment, strengthen cooperation and dialogue between the government and volunteers, to form an anti-electric fishing force. It has been highly valued by the relevant leaders of the Department of Agriculture. The Fisheries Division of the Sichuan Fisheries Bureau also invited CBCGDF to participate in the launching ceremony of  “China Fishery Sword 2018: the Joint Law Enforcement Action on the Yangtze River Spring Fishing Ban”, a volunteers teams from OEFU dispatched by CBCGDF joined in the on-site ceremony.
 
Next, the volunteers of CBCGDF from OEFU will further increase the patrolling work in multiple river basins in Sichuan, and communicate and interact with the fishery law enforcement authorities in a timely manner to jointly combat illegal fishing and spare no efforts for “Green Shield of Fish Protection”.

(photo source: OEFU)

by/Niu Jingmei, Harry