STORY: China's largest lake sees rebound of rare fish species
SHOOTING TIME: File
DATELINE: June 26, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:24
LOCATION: XINING, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Qinghai Lake
2. various of the naked carp
3. various of the Qinghai Lake
4. various of birds at the Qinghai Lake

STORYLINE:

Qinghai Lake, China's largest inland saltwater lake, has seen a positive growth of a rare fish species thanks to ecological protection.

The naked carp, known as "Huangyu" in China, is endemic to Qinghai Lake. The fish is not only critical to the existence of local bird species, but also to the ecological balance of the highland lake.

Due to overfishing and environmental deterioration, the population of naked carp declined sharply in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2002, Qinghai Lake only had 2,592 tonnes of naked carp.

In order to protect the species and restore the environment, the province banned naked carp fishing in Qinghai Lake and nearby rivers in 2003. Qinghai has also closed the lake six times during the past four decades to better breed fish there.

Through continuous protection efforts, from 2002 to 2023, the naked carp population in Qinghai Lake recorded a nearly 46-fold increase. Currently, the reserves of this species have been restored to 120,000 tonnes.

In 2022, China approved a plan to establish a national park at Qinghai Lake, which has seen its ecological environment improved and biodiversity rapidly restored in recent years.

In 2020, the water level of Qinghai Lake reached 3,196.62 meters, marking a rise of 3.65 meters compared to 2004. Its water body covered an area of 4,588.81 square km, an increase of 344.31 square km compared to 2004, thus reaching levels last seen back in the 1960s.

Today, the lake is home to over 606,000 water birds made up of over 280 species, confirming its status as one of China's major breeding grounds for migratory birds.   

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