Guizhou: Miao families in the mountains become rich by raising ecological fish.

"the water quality here has been tested to be an ideal area for the development of ecological fish culture. over the course of a year, the income of families who earn more is 200000 yuan, while those who earn less are 70,000 yuan to 80,000 yuan." Wei Xiaoquan, a villager of the Miao nationality, told reporters while feeding the fish.

Wei Xiaoquan and his family have lived for generations in Huanghuazhai, Dunyao Township, Changshun County, Guizhou Province. The village inhabited by the Miao nationality is surrounded by mountains and green rivers, but the traffic is blocked, and the road leading to the township has only a rugged mountain road for a long time, with less than 1 mu of arable land per capita. "in the past, many families lived in poverty by ploughing food from the soil all the year round." Wei Xiaoquan said.

In 2008, the local government decided to build a hydropower station on a river near Huanghuazhai. Dozens of families in the village, including Wei Xiaoquan and his family of five, moved to the county as immigrants. "after moving out, life is convenient, but because of the lack of labor skills, it is difficult for many villagers to find suitable jobs and lack financial resources." Wei Xiaoquan said.

"this phenomenon has attracted the attention of government departments." Chen Yong, secretary of the party committee of Dunyao Township, told reporters that in order to help Huanghuazhai immigrant families get rid of poverty and increase their income as soon as possible, the county immigration bureau and the township government have been looking for channels of employment for them. In 2014, the Huanghuazhai Hydropower Station built a dam, and the river in the past has become a reservoir with a water storage capacity of 178 million cubic meters, which stretches for 18 kilometers, forming a good ecological fish culture area.

The township government mobilized and supported 11 Miao villagers to develop cold-water fish farming in the Huanghuazhai reservoir area, and Wei Xiaoquan and his wife, in their 40s, took the lead in responding positively.

"at the beginning of fish farming, fish fry were expensive, costly and stressful, so the government helped these 11 families borrow money from the bank, and then provided government subsidies and contact marketing, and everyone finally made money." Wei Xiaoquan said.

The reporter went to the reservoir area for an interview in recent days. Standing on the dam of the 110-meter-high Huanghuazhai Hydropower Station, he saw that the cages for cold-water fish farming were scattered on the water surface, a series of small boats shuttled back and forth, and the figure of anglers shook from time to time on the edge of the reservoir, and the scenery was charming.

"aiming at the dining tables of urban people, at present, the reservoir area has raised a total of about 400 boxes of more than 200,000 fish, including grass carp, Jiangtuan, Sturgeon, and so on. Due to pollution-free, good quality, stable market sales channels, all fish raised in 2014 have been sold out, and fish farmers have made money." Wei Xiaoquan said that his family's annual income from fish farming reached 200000 yuan.

"seeing the benefits, people are planning to further expand the scale of fish farming." Wei Xiaoquan said: as the construction of the hydropower station has improved traffic conditions, now, on weekends and holidays, many city people drive to the reservoir area to play and fish, and Yujiale and family farms that provide accommodation for guests emerge as the times require. The life of the Miao family is getting better and better.