2026-02-13 中国科学院（CAS）
＜関連情報＞
- https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research-news/202602/t20260213_1150949.shtml
- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu5160
漁業禁止により、長江の70年にわたる生物多様性の減少が止まる Fishing ban halts seven decades of biodiversity decline in the Yangtze River
Fangyuan Xiong, Zhongyang Li, Sébastien Brosse, Julian D. Olden, […] , and Yushun Chen
Science Published:12 Feb 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adu5160
Editor’s summary
The Yangtze River was once wild and biodiverse. But rapid economic development since the middle of the 20th century has led to overfishing, and the abundance and diversity of aquatic life has plummeted. In response, the Chinese government implemented in 2021 a 10-year ban on all commercial fishing in the river basin. Xiong et al. examined fish abundance and diversity before and after the ban and found promising signs of initial recovery in biomass, diversity, body condition, and even threatened species. They conclude that cessation of fishing was responsible but emphasize that other threats remain and that such a recovery would not withstand a return to fishing. —Sacha Vignieri
Abstract
China’s rapid economic development has triggered an unparalleled freshwater biodiversity crisis since the 1950s. To restore fisheries resources, the Yangtze River Fishing Ban was implemented in 2021 to cease all basin-wide commercial fishing. We evaluate the effectiveness of this large-scale conservation action by assessing fish communities across mainstem habitats before and after the ban (2018 to 2023). The seven-decadal biodiversity loss was halted with improvements in fish biomass, body condition, species diversity, and initial recovery of threatened species. Eliminating fishing pressure was likely key to this recovery, in addition to actions targeting water quality improvement, hydrological and riparian habitat restoration, and vessel traffic reduction. Ambitious conservation actions can halt biodiversity loss in the Yangtze River, bringing hope for biodiversity recovery in other large rivers.
