Ecological Conservation and Sustainable Fisheries of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

After damming the Three Gorges in the Yangtze River, thousands of local residents lost homes and land that support their living. The Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) may provide some subsidies for these losses. Fishery is one of the most important ecosystem services provided by the TGR. However, maintaining the balance of sustainable fisheries and ecological conservation is a challenge that both fishery biologists and reservoir managers are facing. The current study synthesized a series of related studies that have been conducted in the past several years in the TGR area: (a) characteristics and dynamics of fish and aquatic resources; (b) fish stocking and assessment; (c) fishery resources conservation and algal bloom control through food web biomanipulation; and (d) management of commercial fishery districts and communities. A sustainable eco-fishery demonstration project was developed in the TGR area and other related sustainable fishery approaches were also discussed.