On February 20, Huang Qiang, Deputy
Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Governor of the People's
Government of Sichuan Province, presided over the first leading group meeting
of 2021 on implementing the fishing ban policy and promoting the resettlement
of fishermen dropping fishing in key waters along the Yangtze River. He
stressed that relevant departments should fully grasp and put into practice Xi
Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, unswervingly, comprehensively, and
correctly implement the new development concept, and align thoughts and actions
with decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and State Council on the
"ten-year ban on fishing" in the Yangtze River. He called on people
to shoulder their responsibilities and make concrete and sustainable efforts to
carry out related measures, in a move to win the battle against illegal fishing
in the Yangtze River and realize the virtuous circle that "people protect
the Yangtze River, which benefits people in return."
Huang pointed out that the ten-year fishing
ban is a major decision made by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi
Jinping at the core for the country and descendants. In recent years, the CPC
Sichuan Provincial Committee and the People's Government of Sichuan Province
have made plans to ban fishing in pivotal waters of the Yangtze River and rolled
out a slew of measures to take care of fishermen's welfare. As a result,
fishermen bid farewell to nets and boats. However, there are still difficulties
inensuring the basic livelihood of fishermen, the foundation for management is
not solid, and results for the fishing ban are waiting for the test of time.
Relevant parties should abstain from formalism and bureaucracy
and make up deficiencies, to realize practical fruits on all fronts.
Huang emphasized that departments need to
play their roles, complete segmented tasks, and endeavor to advance all parts
of work. For example, they should record the employment of fishermen and create
new employment channels and public service jobs, to unlock the potential for
these people to engage in agriculture; enhance the building of agricultural
comprehensive administrative law enforcement teams, following the six standards
of "with sound law enforcement organizations, with enough law enforcement
staff, etc."; take severe measures against illegal and criminal
activities, such as illegal fishing and selling of catches, and carefully investigate
an array of major cases; breed and release aquatic animals, step up efforts to
restore the water environment in critical habitats, and establish a system to
evaluate the results of the fishing ban. Departments need to adhere to the
system concept and combine permanent and temporary measures. It is necessary to
build a working mechanism for the ten-year fishing ban involving major leaders
at provincial, municipal, county, township, and village levels as well as a
joint meeting mechanism on law enforcement at provincial, municipal, and county
levels, soundly carry out the "100-day joint law enforcement action for
fishery protection", and enhance cross-department, -region, and -drainage
basin coordinated administration. They are required to make greater efforts in
publicity and warning education and create a sound environment, where no
fishing can be seen in rivers, no aquatic products in markets, and no related
dishes on dining tables. Besides, they have to establish a developed reward
system for reporting, inviting the public to completely wipe out poaching in
the upper reaches of the Yangtze River; intensify covert investigation, adhere
to the principle of not issuing written notifications, not reminding the local
government, not receiving any report, and not accompanied by local officials,
but directly conducting inspections in the local area to carry out follow-up
supervision on the work of relevant leaders and departments irregularly, and
ensure that officials are held accountable for neglect of duty according to
laws and regulations.
The meeting conveyed and studied the guiding
principles concluded at the Teleconference to Promote Fishing Ban in the
Yangtze River and Launch Event of Ten-Year Fishing Ban in Key Waters of the
Yangtze River, listened to relevant reports, and reviewed and passed the
Opinions of Sichuan Province on Improving Long-term Management Mechanism of
Fishing Ban in the Yangtze River.
Luo Wen, Member of the Standing Committee
of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Vice Governor of the People's
Government of Sichuan Province, Yao Sidan, Ye Hanbing, and Li Yunze, Vice
Governors of the People's Government of Sichuan Province, and heads of member
units of the leading group attended the meeting.