Volunteer team established in Guizhou village to prevent illegal fishing

(ECNS) -- A five-member volunteer team has been patrolling the Duliujiang River in Rongjiang to prevent illegal fishing, including methods such as using explosives and poison.

This local team led by retiree Pan Yunliang was established in 2018 because of a sharp reduction of fish species and overall quantity.

Publicizing the fishing ban and environmental protection to the public was the top priority of the team at the beginning, which was very difficult, said Pan Yunliang.

Please don't fish during the fishing ban period. Only when the river is well protected will there be more fish, said Pan Yunliang, a member of the patrol team.

Villagers who earn a living by fishing were hard to persuade at first, so Pan and his team went door to door to explain the importance of the ban.

Then villagers changed and some young men even became part of the team voluntarily, said Pan.

The volunteer team has patrolled the river more than 1,600 times and stopped illegal fishing more than 420 times since its establishment.

Both the fishery resources and ecological environment here have been restored after a long term of effective work.