Fishermen's catch to boost salmon stocks in NE China
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Despite a month-long fishing ban on northeast China's Tumen River, some fishermen are still casting their nets into the river.
However, fishermen in Fangchuan village, Jilin Province, are doing so with the permission of the Jilin Provincial Fishery Administration, under a scheme to restock the river's dwindling salmon population.
The plan is to collect stock for an artificial breeding program for the river, running through China and Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which is an important spawning and feeding ground for the fish.
The peak breeding season for salmon in the Tumen River runs from Sept. 20 to Oct. 20, the same period as the fishing ban.
"We harvested 300,000 fry from more than 300 fish last year and released them into the river. We have more breeding fish this year, and the release number should be up too," said Yang Xiaobo, manager of Qinglong fishery.
The captured salmon would be sent to Qinglong fishery, in Helong City, to produce fry, said Chen Guangyuan, a fisherman in Fangchuan village.
Chen said the salmon population was constantly shrinking and the fry release scheme was essential to their survival.
The provincial Department of Water Resources and fishery departments along the Tumen River have formed inspection teams that have been enforcing the ban since Oct. 4 so the salmon can safely swim upstream and spawn.
The inspection teams will also educate the public on the need to protect fisheries.
The Jinlin government had scientifically mapped out reproduction and release schemes for biological resources in the Tumen River, said Wang Zhaojun, head of the Fisheries Service of the Department of Water Resources of Jilin Province.
