The symposium also featured the unveiling ceremony of the Chishui River Aquatic Resource Protection and Restoration Base. (Credit: IHB) 

On August 15th, 2023, the inaugural National Ecological Day, a symposium on the protection and restoration of aquatic resources in the Chishui River was held at the Chishui Field Station for Conservation of Rare and Endemic Fishes of the Upper Yangtze River and Monitoring of River Ecosystem.    

During the symposium, YUAN Guiping, deputy mayor of Chishui, delivered a welcoming speech. YANG Runmin, director of the Zunyi Municipal Agriculture and Rural Bureau, reported on the progress of the ten-year fishing ban in the Yangtze River and the efforts related to the protection of aquatic resources in the Chishui River.    

A significant milestone was reached as the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Zunyi Municipal Agriculture and Rural Bureau signed the "Cooperation Framework Agreement for the Protection and Restoration of Aquatic Resources in the Chishui River."   

According to the agreement, both parties will collaborate in establishing the Chishui River Aquatic Resource Protection and Restoration Base. Leveraging this base, joint efforts will be made in various areas, including evaluating and adaptively managing the effectiveness of the fishing ban in the Chishui River, surveying and restoring important fish habitats in the Chishui River, domesticating and breeding indigenous fish species, and enhancing the capacity for the protection and restoration of aquatic life in the Chishui River.    

This comprehensive strategic cooperation aims to facilitate the protection and restoration of rare and endemic fish resources in the Chishui River and the transformation and upgrading of fisheries in the basin.   

The symposium also featured the unveiling ceremony of the Chishui River Aquatic Resource Protection and Restoration Base.