Why did the paddlefish become extinct?

"Unfortunate but expected." There are already traces of why the Yangtze River paddlefish became extinct. The bottom line is that humans have destroyed the environment in which they grow! As we all know, the Yangtze River is China's main transportation river and is rich in fishery resources. It has intensive passenger and cargo transportation and is an essential transportation route for inland and coastal ports and major cities. At present, the Yangtze River Basin has formed the Yangtze River Economic Belt, which is important for the economic development of cities along the Yangtze River. plays an important role. According to data released by the Yangtze River Pilotage Center on December 28, 2020, in the whole of 2020, there were 62,000 pilot ships, exceeding 60,000 for 4 consecutive years; the cargo capacity of pilot ships was 450 million tons, which was higher than last year. An increase of 5.3% over the same period; among which, the cargo capacity of ships on international routes was 370 million tons, an increase of 7.3% compared with last year. In other words, the number of ships on the Yangtze River continues to increase every year. These ships discharge 360 ??million tons of oily wastewater and domestic sewage into the Yangtze River every year, and discharge 75,000 tons of domestic garbage. There are also incidents of oil and chemical pollution caused by maritime accidents that occur from time to time. But we must know that our pollution of the Yangtze River is not limited to this.

According to statistics in the early 1980s, there were more than 40,000 pollution sources in the entire basin, among which 490 industrial and mining enterprises were major pollution sources. According to statistics, “in 1998, the sewage discharge volume in the entire basin was 18.9 billion tons. It has risen to more than 27 billion tons in 2003; the water quality exceedance rate at provincial boundaries in the basin is also on the rise; water pollution in the basin, especially in the middle and lower reaches, has not yet been effectively treated and controlled." Although we have started relevant protection, it is not the best time for interference at that time. Yangtze River pollution has led to the failure to effectively curb the pollution of coastal waters of the main stream; tributaries are seriously polluted and the water quality of the main stream has deteriorated; lakes are becoming increasingly eutrophic and water ecosystems are destroyed; "white pollution" directly affects water resources.

For paddlefish, their size is large and their numbers are scarce. Large fish like the paddlefish are more susceptible to human activity than smaller fish. The establishment of power stations and dams in the Yangtze River where we are located has hindered the life, reproduction and communication of paddlefish. Coupled with overfishing, especially electrofishing, which is now strictly prohibited, all large and small fish are caught in one catch, leaving the paddlefish lacking sufficient food sources. This resulted in the paddlefish being elevated from "critically endangered species" to "extinct in the wild." Although there is more than just this kind of fish in the Yangtze River, if we don't pay attention to the environment, more than a hundred sturgeons will become extinct. It is imperative to strengthen the protection of fish habitats and the management of protected areas. Fortunately, the country has begun to protect key waters in the Yangtze River Basin with a "ten-year fishing ban period." The fate of fish in the Yangtze River will usher in a new turning point. Water pollution treatment is a protracted battle, and we must fight hard to protect and restore the Yangtze River.