The three Gorges opens the sluice gate for fish breeding for the first time.

The Yangtze River Flood Control and drought Relief headquarters of the Ministry of Water Resources in South China recently issued a notice requiring that starting from June 16, the three Gorges Group Company should increase its discharge for six consecutive days to form a "man-made flood peak." to create a good environment for the breeding and spawning of the four domestic fish downstream. According to experts, this release, which is different from previous flood control and drought relief, is the first time that large-scale hydropower projects in China, including the three Gorges, have opened floodgates for the survival needs of fish.

The Yangtze River is the main natural origin of the four major domestic fish in China, but the amount of juvenile fish under the three Gorges Dam decreased significantly after the completion of the three Gorges Reservoir area. Guo Qiaoyu, an expert on the Yangtze River Conservation Project of the Nature Conservancy, explained that this is because the spawning activities of the four major domestic fish not only need the stimulation of natural environmental conditions such as the flood peak process of the fluctuation of the river, but also that the eggs laid need a flow of water at a certain velocity to hatch and develop into young fish, so after the water is impounded and the current slows down in the three Gorges Reservoir, the spawning of the four major domestic fish will be affected. In order to increase the fecundity of the four domestic fish, it is necessary to provide artificial flood peaks during the breeding period to maintain the continuous flood process in the middle and lower reaches of the river.

It is understood that on April 12 this year, the Yangtze River Fisheries Resources Management Commission of the Ministry of Agriculture sent a letter to the three Gorges Group, proposing to carry out ecological regulation to release water for the four major domestic fish during the fish breeding season. (Zhongqing)