胭脂鱼回“家”记 ——十年守护一条“回家路”背后的长沙实践
Editor’s Note
编者按
On January 5, 2016, President Xi Jinping convened a symposium in Chongqing on advancing the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and delivered an important speech, stressing that restoring the ecological environment of the Yangtze River should be an overriding priority, focusing on joint protection and avoiding excessive development. On the eve of the tenth anniversary of President Xi’s important speech on “Yangtze River Protection,” in December 2025, an international communication short-video series titled Wild Yangtze (Chinese title:The Life Echoes of Rare Species of the Yangtze River), jointly produced by major municipal Party newspapers from 13 provinces and cities along the Yangtze River, was broadcast in relay.
2016年1月5日，习近平总书记在重庆召开推动长江经济带发展座谈会并发表重要讲话，强调要把修复长江生态环境摆在压倒性位置，共抓大保护，不搞大开发。在习近平总书记发表“长江大保护”重要讲话十周年前夕，2025年12月，由长江沿线13个省市的主要地市党媒共同参与创作的长江大保护国际传播系列短视频作品《Wild Yangtze》（译名：《长江珍稀物种的生命回响》）接力播出。
On December 22, the bilingual short video Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks Return to the Xiang River, produced by Changsha Evening News, was released simultaneously in China and abroad. Through vivid footage, the video documents the “journey home” of the Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks— an animal under national Grade-II protection and a critically endangered species listed in the China's Red List of Biodiversity—and records Changsha’s vivid practice of ecological restoration under the framework of “Yangtze River Protection.”
12月22日，长沙晚报创作的双语短视频《湘江再现“一抹红”》国内外同步上线。视频用镜头生动记录国家二级保护动物、《中国生物多样性红色名录》中的极危物种——胭脂鱼的“回家路”，记录“长江大保护”中长沙生态修复的生动实践。
In early winter, with clear skies meeting open waters, Wulong Fishery Base in Liuyang, Changsha, is bathed in bright daylight. Rows of ponds lie blue and still like mirrors. A few waterbirds flap their wings and skim across the surface, leaving behind crisp, echoing calls.
初冬，水天朗阔，长沙浏阳的乌龙渔场沐浴在明媚天光中，连片水塘澄碧如镜，几只水鸟扑棱着翅膀，从塘面掠过，留下一串清脆的叫声。
At the bottom of the ponds, tens of thousands of Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks swim freely. Years ago, however, due to overfishing and water pollution, their population once dropped sharply. This aquatic wildlife species under national Grade-II protection was listed in the China's Red List of Biodiversity: Vertebrates and classified as critically endangered.
水塘底部，数万尾胭脂鱼正自在游弋。而多年前，因过度捕捞与水体污染，胭脂鱼种群数量一度锐减，这类国家二级保护水生野生动物被列入《中国生物多样性红色名录・脊椎动物》，成为极危物种。
As “Yangtze River Protection” enters its tenth year, a series of targeted ecological restoration measures—such as stock enhancement and release programs and the withdrawal of fishermen from capture fisheries—have taken effect. Rare species like the Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks, once absent from rivers and lakes, are returning to public view. Wulong Fishery Base is one of the starting points of this “journey home” for the Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks.
随着“长江大保护”迈入第十个年头，增殖放流、渔民退捕等一系列针对性的生态修复举措落地生效，胭脂鱼等一度消失于江河的珍稀物种，重新回到人们的视野。乌龙渔场，正是这条胭脂鱼“回家路”的起点之一。
Setting Out from the Fishery Base: Extending the “Chain of Life” for Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks
从渔场出发，为胭脂鱼接续“生命链”
By the ponds, staff at Wulong Fishery Base net a few black-and-white fingerlings and place them into a glass tank. Once in the water, the little fish gently flick their tail fins and swim toward the bottom, their tall dorsal fins standing upright like tiny flags.
水塘边，乌龙渔场的工作人员打捞起几尾黑白相间的鱼苗，放入玻璃鱼缸中。一入水，小家伙们便轻摆尾鳍游向缸底，高高竖起的背鳍宛如一面面小巧的旗帜。
“These are three-year-old Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks, still in the juvenile stage,” said Yang Tao, head of Wulong Fishery Base, pointing to the fingerlings in the tank. Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks typically reaches sexual maturity and starts breeding at the age of 6 to 7 years old. Their sexual maturation cycle is about once as long as that of the “four major Chinese carps(namely black carp, grass carp, silver carp and bighead carp),” which means that once a population is damaged, natural recovery alone is often difficult to sustain.
“这些是3龄的胭脂鱼，属于幼年阶段。”乌龙渔场负责人阳滔指着鱼缸里的鱼苗介绍，胭脂鱼通常需要6至7龄才能开始繁殖，其性成熟周期比四大家鱼要长1倍，这也意味着，种群一旦受损，单靠自然恢复往往难以为继。
For this reason, artificial breeding has become an indispensable link in the conservation chain for the Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks. From water temperature and water quality to feeding regimes, strict requirements apply at every growth stage. The growth of each and every fingerling depends on long-term, meticulous care.
正因如此，人工繁育成为胭脂鱼保护链条中不可或缺的一环。从水温、水质到饵料投喂，不同生长阶段都有着严格要求，每一尾鱼苗的成长，都需要长期而细致的照料。
In recent years, Wulong Fishery Base has bred 30,000 to 40,000 Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks each year, releasing them into the Xiang River each June as a concentrated restocking drive.
这些年，乌龙渔场每年都会养殖3万到4万尾胭脂鱼，并集中在每年6月放流回湘江。
Yang Tao explained that at qualified Chinese High Fin Banded Shark breeding bases, the broodstock is generally supplied centrally by the Hunan Fisheries Science Institute. “Only in this way can the fingerlings we raise meet the relevant standards,” he said. This model provides a compliant and stable source for the stock enhancement and release program, making the first link in this “chain of life” more secure.
阳滔介绍，符合资质的胭脂鱼养殖渔场，其亲本一般由湖南省水产原种场统一提供，“这样培育出来的鱼苗才能符合相关标准。”这一模式为胭脂鱼增殖放流提供了合规、稳定的源头保障，也让这条“生命链”的第一环更加牢固。
Guarding the Riverbanks: Building a “Protective Net” for Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks
在江岸守护，为胭脂鱼筑牢“防护网”
Population conservation is a systematic project with tightly linked steps. Raising compliant and healthy fingerlings at fishery bases is only the first step on the “road of return” for Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks. To truly bring these fish back to rivers and help them thrive, fishing bans, fishermen’s exit from capture fisheries, and routine patrols are all indispensable.
种群保护是一项环环相扣的系统工程。从渔场培育出合规、健康的鱼苗，只是胭脂鱼“回归之路”的第一步。要让这些生命重归江河、真正扎下根来，禁渔退捕与常态化巡护同样不可或缺。
As a long-serving “guardian of the rivers,” Xie Zhirong was once responsible for organizing the fishing withdrawal and resettlement of 46 licensed fisherman households and one temporary fisherman household in the jurisdiction of Furong North Road Subdistrict.
作为长期扎根一线的“江河守护者”，谢志荣曾负责芙蓉北路街道辖区的46户有证渔民和1户临时渔民的退捕安置工作。
At the beginning of the fishing withdrawal program, the greatest concern for many fishermen was simple: after leaving fishing, where would their livelihood come from?
退捕之初，不少渔民最担心的是：退捕之后，生活保障从何而来？
“What will we live on in the future?” “Without medical and social insurance, what happens if we get sick?” “What about our boats and fishing gear?”—these questions came up again and again during household visits. In accordance with relevant policies, Xie Zhirong met with fishermen household by household, helping them shift to new jobs and industries, while also promoting the inclusion of eligible fishermen into the social security system. Under the regulations, one fisherman’s license can cover two people for medical and social insurance, which reassured many families who had long depended on fishing.
“今后靠什么生活”“没有医保社保，看病怎么办”“家里的渔船渔具怎么处理”——这些问题，在一次次走访中被摆到桌面上。依照相关政策，谢志荣逐户对接，协助渔民转产转业，同时推动符合条件的渔民纳入社会保障体系。按照规定，一本渔民证可保障两人参加医保和社保，这也让不少以家庭为单位从事捕捞的渔民吃下了“定心丸”。
For fishermen, only when livelihood security was resolved did they truly feel confident about leaving fishing. At the same time, compensation for boats, fishing gear, and other means of production was also distributed in full according to policy. “Once the fishermen felt secure, they naturally gave their full cooperation,” said Xie Zhirong.
对渔民来说，保障问题解决了，退捕才真正有了底气。与此同时，渔船、渔具等生产资料的补偿资金也按政策落实到位。“渔民们心里踏实了，自然全力配合。”谢志荣说。
Since 2016, Changsha has carried out two rounds of fishing withdrawal programs within its jurisdiction. Through employment assistance and social security support, nearly 1,000 fishing households have exited capture fisheries, freeing up ecological space for the restoration of habitats for rare aquatic species, including Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks.
2016年起，长沙在辖区内先后开展两次渔民退捕行动，通过就业帮扶和社会保障兜底，累计退捕渔民近千户，为包括胭脂鱼在内的珍稀水生生物恢复生境腾出了空间。
After the fishing-withdrawal work was successfully completed, Xie Zhirong turned to fishing-ban patrol duties. In the jurisdiction of Furong North Road Subdistrict, he helped form a six-member patrol team responsible for daily inspections of key river sections.
退捕工作圆满结束后，谢志荣转身投入禁渔巡护工作，在芙蓉北路街道辖区内参与组建了一支由6人组成的巡护小组，承担起重点河段的日常巡查任务。
Three rounds of routine patrols every day, 24-hour emergency standby, an average of 2 to 4 kilometers walked daily—this has been their normal routine for nearly nine years. What may seem repetitive and ordinary is in fact the foundation that allows the fishing-ban system to be implemented over the long term.
每日三轮常态化巡护，24小时应急待命，日均步行2到4公里……这样的日常，他们已坚持了近9年。看似重复而平凡的巡查，正是禁渔制度得以长期落实的基础。
It is through such persistent guarding that the value of patrol work has gradually become clear—it has both consolidated the achievements of fishing withdrawal and fishing bans, and provided safety for the smooth return of Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks. Xie Zhirong explained that after each stock enhancement and release activity, his patrol team temporarily increases patrol frequency, carrying out targeted inspections of key river sections to prevent illegal fishing and human disturbance. “After being released, Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks will stay near the release site for a short time. We must stand our post and escort them safely on their way home.”
也正是在这样的守护中，巡护工作的意义逐渐显现——既巩固了退捕禁渔成果，也为胭脂鱼顺利回归提供了安全保障。谢志荣介绍，每次增殖放流活动结束后，他所在的巡护小组都会阶段性加密巡护频次，对重点河段开展针对性巡查，防范非法捕捞和人为干扰。“放流之后，胭脂鱼会在放流点附近短暂停留，我们必须站好岗，护送它们安全回家。”
Releasing into the Xiang River: Opening the “Road Home” for Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks
向湘江放流，为胭脂鱼接通“回家路”
In 2023, Hunan’s first public welfare fish release station was completed in Changsha. Here, breeding at fishery bases and protection along the riverbanks converge, and the “road home” for Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks has taken shape.
2023年，湖南首座公益放流站在长沙建成。渔场的培育与岸线的守护在此汇合，胭脂鱼的“回家路”由此成型。
Counting, loading, transporting, releasing… Since its establishment, the station has organized about 40 fish release activities, releasing a total of around 1.6 million fish of various species. Through an ecological relay of “scientific release + public participation,” more and more people have come to the riverbanks to personally experience the meaning of ecological restoration, helping endangered fish populations recover.
清点、装车、转运、入水……自建成以来，长沙公益放流站已组织完成约40场鱼类放流活动，累计放流各类鱼苗约160万尾。通过“科学放流+公众参与”的生态接力，越来越多的人走近江岸、亲身感受生态修复的意义，助力濒危鱼类种群恢复。
Liu Ke, a science educator at the station, explained that Changsha enjoys unique geographical advantages: it is connected to the main stream of the Xiang River in its upper reaches and links to Dongting Lake in its lower reaches. Since ancient times, the Xiang River, the Yangtze River basin, and Dongting Lake have been natural habitats of Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks. For this reason, establishing a public welfare fish-release station in Changsha not only fits the species’ natural living habits, but also plays an important scientific and demonstrative role.
长沙公益放流站科普讲师刘科介绍，长沙区位条件具有独特优势，其上游承接湘江干流，下游连通洞庭湖，而湘江、长江流域与洞庭湖自古以来就是胭脂鱼的天然栖息地。正因如此，在长沙建立公益放流站，不仅符合胭脂鱼的自然生存习性，更能发挥重要的科学示范效应。
Looking across the whole province, Hunan has continuously promoted stock enhancement and release of aquatic biological resources since 2021. Localities across the province have released a total of about 2.175 billion aquatic organisms of various kinds, including 2.1757 million rare and endemic fish species of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. As measures such as stock enhancement and fish-release take effect, the recovery of fish resources in Hunan’s “One Lake and Four Rivers” system continues to improve. Rare aquatic species once hard to find—such as Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks, Chinese sturgeon, and finless porpoises—are returning to public view.
放眼全省，2021年以来，湖南省持续推进水生生物资源增殖放流工作，全省各地累计放流各类水生生物约21.75亿尾，其中长江中游珍稀特有鱼类达217.57万尾。随着增殖放流等生态保护举措的落地见效，湖南“一湖四水”的鱼类资源恢复态势持续向好，曾经难觅踪迹的胭脂鱼、中华鲟以及江豚等珍稀水生生物，重返人们的视野。
Once rarely seen, today clear rivers teem with fish. This relay-built “road home” for Chinese High Fin Banded Sharks is made of fishermen turning away from capture fishing, patrol officers standing firm, and the combined efforts of all sectors of society. It is a vivid footnote to strict fishing control in key waters and emergency restoration of rare species, and it reflects the changing relationship of coexistence between people and rivers—writing Changsha’s answer to “Yangtze River Protection.”
昔日踪迹难觅，今朝江清鱼跃。这条接力铺就的胭脂鱼“回家路”，是渔民退捕的转身，是巡护人员的坚守，是社会各界的聚力。它是重点水域严控捕捞、珍稀物种抢救修复的鲜活注脚，更映照出人与江河的共生之变，绘就了“长江大保护”的长沙答卷。
