STORY: River Story | From fishermen to guardians of Yangtze River
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Dec. 24, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:45
LOCATION: WUHAN, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the patrol team working
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHOU GANG, Patrol team member, former fisherman
3. various of the patrolling
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHOU GANG, Patrol team member, former fisherman
5. various of finless porpoises
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHOU GANG, Patrol team member, former fisherman

STORYLINE:

In 2021, a 10-year fishing ban took effect in the pivotal waters of the Yangtze River to restore biodiversity.

Many former fishermen have thus taken on new roles. 43-year-old Zhou Gang is one of them.

After retiring from fishing, Zhou joined an assist patrol team in Yichang City, central China's Hubei Province, to stop illegal fishing on the Yangtze River.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHOU GANG, Patrol team member, former fisherman
"I've been a member of the patrol team for three years. We used to be fishermen. After the 10-year fishing ban took effect, we joined the patrol team after rounds of selection."

The patrol team, to which Zhou belongs, has 11 members, who are all former fishermen. They are responsible for patrolling the urban sections of the Yangtze River in Yichang.

The Yangtze finless porpoise, which is under top-level state protection, is an important indicator of the Yangtze River ecology.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHOU GANG, Patrol team member, former fisherman
"We patrol and look for finless porpoises every day. Normally, we can see some every day. Once we fail to see them, we would get very anxious and try hard to find them."

So far, more than 700 assist patrol teams have been established in the entire Yangtze River Basin, with over 25,000 patrol members.

After years of efforts, the population of finless porpoises has risen from 1,012 in 2017 to 1,249 in 2022, marking a significant growth.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHOU GANG, Patrol team member, former fisherman
"Through our efforts over the past few years and with the strong support from the government, the finless porpoises have settled down in Yichang. I am happy to contribute to it."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Wuhan, China.
(XHTV)