Fish Ecology and Environmental Conservation of the Three Gorges Reservoir,China

The Yangtze Three Gorges Project provides convenience for water transportation and flood control. Before the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, 140 species of fish were found in the mainstream and the tributaries, including 47 native species specific in the upstream. The construction of the dam affected the aquatic ecosystem fundamentally. First, the dam cut off the way of migratory fish along with the spreading of other non-migratory fishes. Secondly, the dam changed the hydraulic dynamics completely and then affected the habitat usage of local fish species and their food resources distributions. The fish habitats have been changed due to water depth, turbidity, temperature, water flow and so on. This may lead to the loss of biodiversity of the lotic species and ecological succession. To meet the above challenges, the Chinese government have been working with ecologists and implemented a series of conservation approaches: setting up natural reserves and protected areas for endangered species; setting up research stations for artificial breeding and stocking for some species; ensuring the suitable aquatic environment for fish natural breeding; improving fishery management and regulating commercial harvesting; and investing scientific research and implementing a long-term dynamic monitoring on the rare, endangered, and the endemic species.