Anti-electrofishing Networking: improved connectivity make a big difference for China's freshwater ecosystem

#SDGAction42598

Description

Intro

To safeguard freshwater ecosystem by encouraging people's participation, an ANTI-ELECTROFISHING CENTER (or CBCGDF-FDY) is established in China. The CBCGDF-FDY network is composed of around 20,000 volunteers in mainland China. It successfully proves the SDG target 6.6 and SDG 15.7 etc. by a bottom-up approach by fighting illegal fishing enforcement, awareness promotion and technology assistance.

Objective of the practice

There're 4 objectives of CBCGDF's Anti-Electrofishing Network: 
 
1. Fighting illegal fishing enforcement. 
By December 2018, the CBCGDF volunteers assisted fishery authorities in more than 10 Chinese provinces along the Yangtze River Basin region, uncovering nearly 1,000 cases of illegal electric fishing; they assisted local fishery authorities in carrying out 730 joint law enforcement operations, with more than 15,100 volunteers participating in the whole year; and cooperated with patrols along rivers and lakes for more than 80,000 km. On last Christmas Day, we have received an Appreciation Letter from the Fisheries Administration Bureau of China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas. The authorities expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the CBCGDF FDY volunteers for their anti-electrofishing contribution. 
 
2. Awareness promotion. 
The FDY network's volunteers extensively educate people on freshwater ecosystem and biodiversity protection; enenironmental classes and lectures carried out into schools; a pilot School of "Little Guards in Rivers and Lakes" established in Zigong, Sichuan Province. CBCGDF FDY volunteers influenced more than 1.1 million people in the Yangtze River Basin. 
 
3. Technology assistance. 
An APP called RiverEye was launched to encourage and assist public participation in safeguarding ecosystem and anti illegal fishing. 
 
4. Stop invasive aquatic species 
The Yangtze River is the longest river in China, with more than 4,300 aquatic species, which has maintained the main freshwater fishing industry throughout the country in history. Today, fishery resources are at stake and nearly exhausted. There are 92 species of endangered fish listed in the Redlist on Endangered Wildlife of China in the Yangtze River Basin. Nearly 300 species are listed in the CITES' appendices. The rare animals such as river dolphins and sturgeons have not been traced for many years. As the pillar of freshwater aquaculture industry, the occurrence of the "Big Four Domestic Fish" fry has been declining continuously, and now it has dropped by more than 90% compared with the 1980s. Electrofishing is the main causes endangering the waters' ecosystems. The dissaperance of aquatic resources means people's food safty in danger in the long run.

Partners

1. General public.
2. government at both local and central level.
3. private sector.

Implementation of the Project/Activity

1. Reporting illegal fishing, and help law enforcement
By December 2018, the CBCGDF volunteers assisted fishery authorities in more than 10 Chinese provinces along the Yangtze River Basin region, uncovering nearly 1,000 cases of illegal electric fishing; they assisted local fishery authorities in carrying out 730 joint law enforcement operations, with more than 15,100 volunteers participating in the whole year; and cooperated with patrols along rivers and lakes for more than 80,000 km. On last Christmas Day, we have received an Appreciation Letter from the Fisheries Administration Bureau of China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas. The authorities expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the CBCGDF FDY volunteers for their anti-electrofishing contribution.

2. Awareness promotion
The FDY network's volunteers extensively educate people on freshwater ecosystem and biodiversity protection; enenironmental classes and lectures carried out into schools; a pilot School of "Little Guards in Rivers and Lakes" established in Zigong, Sichuan Province. CBCGDF FDY volunteers influenced more than 1.1 million people in the Yangtze River Basin.

3. An APP launched
Technology helps fighting illegal wildlife poaching. The free-of-charge APP is based on field experiences and practices by the Center, it's now open for trial on Apple Store and Android Platforms. Aiming to safeguarding freshwater ecosystem, this is China's first APP tailored for the general public use to record illegal fishing and protect aquatic wildlife. It'll be a nightmare for illegal fishers!

4.Fighting invasive species:
The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is a freshwater gamefish in the sunfishfamily, a species of black bass native to North America. It's becoming an increasingly popular gamefish here in China. In numerous fishing competition, hosting organizations and their business partners release the invasive fish into waters to make fishing more successful. The invasive species seriously threatens native freshwater species. For example, there were 13,000 largemouthed bass been released to Hunhe waters in Northern China's Liaoning Province in July 2018. CBCGDF urged the country's authorities to intervene and successfully stopped this practice.

Results/Outputs/Impacts

1. in 2018, The CBCGDF-FDY uncovered nearly 1,000 cases of illegal electric fishing; they assisted local fishery authorities in carrying out 730 joint law enforcement operations, with more than 15,100 volunteers participating in the whole year; and cooperated with patrols along rivers and lakes for more than 80,000 km.

2. According to the latest official stats issued by China's government in early Feb 2019, 11,000 electrofishing cases were investigated and dealt with by the fishery administration nationwide, and the CBCGDF-FDY accounted for 10%.

3. The APP "RiverEye" is expected to be an effective tool in reporting illegal case and helping enforcement. It's launched on Feb 2 2019. Let's wait and see its consequence months later.

Enabling factors and constraints

1. People's love of nature. this is the most effective factor in the success of CBCGDF-FDY. The volunteers are fishing-lovers; they hate illegal fishing and automatically organised into this network. With the success step by step, the CBCGDF-FDY grows bigger and bigger.

2. New ideas/technologies: The APP "RiverEye" is very effective. It features eight functions:
1. Acquisition of illegal fishing, illegal sand dredging, sewage discharge and other adverse events on waters; 2. One-click reporting and accurately identifying illegal behaviors.3. Interfaces for swift law enforcement.4. Collect information of sighting of protected freshwater wildlife and automatically produce distribution maps. 5. AI on Fish Species Identification. 6. Recording personal fishing places and interest points. 7. Patrol Records; 8. Big-data analysis & demo

3. Constraints: Lacking funding. We're trying to mobilize private sector's invlovement and contribution.

4. Constraints: Supply of illegal fishing ware is still widely available thoughout China's e-commerce. The low price and readily availability is a big headache for us.

Sustainability and replicability

1. It's very cost-effective, and hence highly sustainable and replicable.

The government did not invest a penny, all of which were supported by the enthusiasm and persistence of volunteers. China's fishery-related laws have always existed and are relatively strict, but illegal electrofishing has been rampant and hard to stop. Why? Because of the authorities are understaffed, shortage of funding, and weak law enforcement capacity.

That's why the government has changed its attitude towards it. At first, the government thought that these people were troublemakers and always reported some negative illegal incidents. Later, they gradually found that FDY volunteers provided them with great convenience and effectiveness in law enforcement. This is why the Ministry of Agriculture of China sent a thank-you letter on its own initiative last Christmas.

The model of CBCGDF-FDY, and especially the RiverEye APP, is highly sustainable and replicable for other countries around the world.

Conclusions

1. The story of CBCGDF-FDY is one of the best practices on what grassroots can do towards post 2020 biodiversity framework - People's participation. We firmly believe that it's urgently needed to highlight people's participation in the post 2020 biodiversity framework. 
 
But generally, policymakers over the world tend to be unable to see those bottom approachs, hence there's no seat for folks conservationists in national policy-makers' considerations. 
 
2. Technology can play an important role in SDG 6.6 and 15.7.

Other sources of information

1. visit CBCGDF's official website,
http://www.cbcgdf.org
2. use China's biggest search engine, like Baidu.com, by imputing keywords "Ã¤Â¸ÂÃ¥â€ºÂ½Ã§Â»Â¿Ã¥Ââ€˜Ã¤Â¼Å¡Ã¥ÂÂÃ§â€ÂµÃ©Â±Â¼", 100,000 search results available.

SDGS & Targets

Goal 15

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss