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Aerial photo taken on Sept. 12. 2020 shows tourists taking a ship to Mushan Island scenic area in Chaohu City, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) As a fisherman for decades, Yu Yuneng never thought that he would make a drastic career change when he was nearly 60 years old. Living by Chaohu Lake in Hefei City, east China's Anhui Province, Yu's family has been fishing for a living for generations. As the fifth-largest freshwater lake in China, Chaohu Lake is known as the "kidney" of the Yangtze River. However, with the construction of water conservancy facilities and urban development, more than 6,600 hectares of natural wetlands have been continuously eroded and disappeared. Overfishing and water pollution have also caused a rapid decline of fish resources -- the natural solutions to blue-green algae bloom. The lake was once covered with thick algae every summer, turning a sticky dark green with a pungent smell. Starting on Jan. 1, 2020, a 10-year fishing ban in the Yangtze River's pivotal waters was officially implemented, including Chaohu Lake. But fisherman Yu did not lose his source of income as a result. Instead, he got a new, more relaxed job: to clean blue-green algae on the waters he loves. "I work eight hours a day now, which is much easier than fishing in the lake, and I still earn more than 4,000 yuan (about 600 U.S. dollars) per month. The income is higher than fishing," Yu said, adding that there are much fewer algae on the lake than before. Yin Ming with the Chaohu Lake management authority said that the local authorities have launched an array of measures to tackle the harmful algae blooms, including building several treatment facilities with a large capacity for algae separation and processing. Compared with the same period in 2020, the first occurrence of algae blooms in Chaohu Lake in 2021 was delayed by 56 days, with its total size down by 84.4 percent and the occurrence frequency decreasing by 78.3 percent. Many fishers like Yu have found new careers after the fishing ban, such as inspectors to stop illegal fishing activities or operators of family farms. With supporting measures including special job fairs, skills training and safety net policies, the ex-fishers' livelihoods are guaranteed. Since the beginning of this year, Chaohu City has issued one-time employment and entrepreneurship subsidies of 207,000 yuan to the ex-fishermen. Changes are also happening around this freshwater lake, with more rare and endangered species inhabiting its surrounding wetlands. Hu Wenxiang, a shutterbug, spotted a few yellow-breasted buntings at a wetland of Chaohu Lake on April 30. "I've never seen this kind of bird before. They are so beautiful, so I took a few photos quickly," said Hu. Later, he was surprised to find out the birds were yellow-breasted buntings, a first-class protected animal in China. More species of rare birds, such as billed dowitchers, Mongolian plovers, grey plovers, and Siberian rubythroat, have been spotted at Chaohu Lake recently as the environment improves, according to Yu Lei, vice president of the Anhui provincial rare bird protection workers union. There are 10 major wetlands around Chaohu Lake with a total area of 100 square km, nine of which have now been restored. The lake has become a paradise for migratory birds again, and a hot spot for birdwatchers as well. The fishing ban and restoration of natural lands did not run counter to local economic development. In 2021, the GDP of Chaohu City grew by 9.1 percent year on year. Hefei, where Chaohu is under the administration, joined the 1-trillion-yuan GDP club in 2020. "Facts have proved that economic development and environmental protection can go hand in hand, coexist and prosper," said Gao Binyou, deputy secretary-general of the Hefei Municipal Government.
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