Concerns about the future of Chinese fisheries based on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing on the Hanjiang river

The Hanjiang River is the most developed tributary of the Yangtze River Basin and is an important source of water for the Chinese Middle Route Project of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project. Ecological protection and water quality safety standards of the Hanjiang River have been major concerns for almost a decade. Nevertheless, irrational land use patterns, excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, extravagant irrigation of farmland with sewage sludge and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing have led to marked deterioration of the water status. Some of the most damaging and frequently used IUU fishing methods on the river include electric fishing, explosive fishing and fishing with toxic chemicals, leading to substantial losses of aquatic biological resources. Traditional government-dominated controls such as arrest of and penalties to illegal fishermen and the prohibition of the sale and use of electric fishing tools have failed in practice to restrict IUU fishing in the Hanjiang River basin. This important fishing area which is a vital source of scarce drinking water for north China and proposals and implementation of countermeasures for the protection and sustainable development of the river are urgently required. The aim of the present study is to clarify the serious problem of IUU fishing, especially electric fishing, in the Hanjiang River and to explore effective solutions. Coordination and supervision of rational and sustainable fishing practices is required through appropriate legal controls. The confrontation with IUU fishing may be progressively brought under control with the help of new and modified fisheries laws and regulations such as much higher penalties, more rigorous sanctioning, more careful investigation of electric fishing activities, more professional enforcement officers, greater public awareness, more systematic supervision and more successful cooperation between the government and the local population.