In wake of drought, China infuses Yangtze River with a billion fish

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NANCHANG, July 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1.3 billion tiny fish were released into the Yangtze River in a project launched Tuesday to repair fishing resources affected by the recent drought, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).

 

The fish are mainly species of black carps, grass carps, chubs and big-head carps. In addition, the project will also include the planting of 135,000 Mu (9,000 hectares) of water weeds, as well as the dispersal of 21 million shellfish.

 

It was launched by the ministry and five provinces -- Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui and Jiangsu, at the middle and lower reaches of the river, which contribute to about half of the country's output of freshwater products, according to the MOA.

 

Water levels dropped remarkably in the middle and lower Yangtze River in a drought during late spring and early summer, damaging the river's ecological environment.

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