The World Should Be Watching China's River Conservation

China's longest river, once a symbol of environmental decline, is starting to bounce back after the government did something drastic: it stopped most fishing. A 10-year fishing ban across the Yangtze, imposed in 2021 after decades of piecemeal restrictions, has led to a sharp increase in fish populations and a modest rebound in endangered species, according to a new study in Science. Researchers comparing data from 2019-2021 to 2021-2023 found that overall fish biomass more than doubled and species diversity rose by 13%, the Guardian reports. There were also positive signs for endangered species, including the Yangtze finless porpoise, which saw observed numbers climb from 445 to nearly 600, per Live Science.

Scientists say the policy's design was as important as the ban itself. Using principles from "evolutionary game theory," Beijing tried to anticipate how local communities and governments would respond to punishments and incentives. The central government spent roughly $3 billion compensating some 200,000 fishers and helping them find new jobs, while many of the river's 100,000 fishing boats were dismantled. Study co-author Sébastien Brosse, an ecologist at the University of Toulouse, called it the most encouraging freshwater conservation case he's seen in two decades and an example other major rivers, such as the Mekong and Amazon, might follow.

The recovery is still precarious. The Yangtze, which stretches nearly 4,000 miles and supports about 400 million people and heavy industry, has already seen various species, including the baiji dolphin and Chinese paddlefish, disappear with pollution, dams, shipping traffic, and destructive fishing. Illegal fishing continues, particularly in some tributaries, and water quality remains a problem. Species like the critically endangered Chinese sturgeon also need better passage around hydropower dams to reach spawning grounds. Even so, researchers say the findings suggest that large, ambitious restoration efforts, backed by political will and funding, can begin to undo decades of ecological damage.