China’s yangtze river shows remarkable recovery with fish populations doubling after five-year fishing ban

China’s ambitious fishing moratorium on the Yangtze River is delivering extraordinary results, with fish populations doubling in just five years and offering new hope for one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals.

The Yangtze, stretching nearly 4,000 miles from the Tibetan Plateau to the East China Sea, has long been known as China’s “Mother River.” This massive waterway supports everything from the emerald rice paddies of Hunan Province to major industrial centers like Wuhan and Shanghai, generating an impressive 40% of China’s total economic output. However, seven decades of rapid industrialization and development had pushed the river’s delicate ecosystem to the brink of collapse.

The dramatic turnaround in fish biomass represents more than just numbers—it’s a lifeline for the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise, whose survival depends entirely on a healthy river ecosystem. These intelligent marine mammals had faced near-extinction as overfishing depleted their food sources and industrial pollution degraded their habitat.

The success of Asia’s longest river demonstrates that large-scale conservation efforts can work when implemented with commitment and resources. China’s decision to ban commercial fishing across the entire Yangtze basin—affecting thousands of fishing communities—represents one of the most significant freshwater conservation initiatives ever undertaken. The remarkable recovery offers valuable lessons for other major river systems worldwide facing similar environmental pressures from human development.