China's Yangtze Fishing Ban Is Bringing a Devastated Ecosystem Back to Life
China's 10-year Yangtze fishing ban is working — new research shows fish populations rebounding across 115 species in the world's largest freshwater conservation experiment.
The World's Largest Freshwater Experiment
The Yangtze River was a cautionary tale of ecological destruction. Since the 1950s, dam-building, industrial pollution, and overfishing collapsed fisheries from 400,000 tons to just 66,000 tons. The Yangtze River dolphin went extinct. The Chinese paddlefish vanished.
Then, in 2021, China did something unprecedented: it imposed a 10-year ban on all commercial fishing across the entire Yangtze basin — a region roughly the size of Mexico.
A new study published in Science Advances reveals that the gamble is paying off. Researchers surveyed 57 river sections, counting over 47,000 fish from 115 species. The data shows significant recovery in species diversity and population sizes within just a few years.
"These results provide hope that ambitious political decisions that support large-scale restoration efforts can help reverse the ecosystem damages of the past," the authors wrote.
The recovery is particularly notable because the Yangtze is not some remote wilderness — it's home to 30% of China's population and 40% of its economic output.
Key Facts
- 10-year fishing ban across entire Yangtze basin (area of Mexico), since 2021
- 47,000+ fish counted from 115 species in monitoring surveys
- Fish catches had fallen from 400,000 to 66,000 tons (1950s–2016)
- Basin is home to 30% of China's population, 40% of GDP
- Published in Science Advances, February 2026
Why This Matters
If biodiversity can recover in one of the most industrialised river systems on Earth, it can recover almost anywhere. The Yangtze experiment offers a template for freshwater restoration globally — but it required political will on an unprecedented scale.
What We Don't Know Yet
Some species, including the baiji dolphin, are already extinct and won't return. The ban displaced hundreds of thousands of fishing families. Whether recovery can continue while the Three Gorges Dam remains is an open question. Ten years may not be enough for full ecosystem recovery.
Sources: Science Advances · Anthropocene Magazine
