Lake fisheries in China: Challenges and opportunities

Chinese fisheries production (including total wild fisheries and aquaculture) went through a substantial increase from 4.3 million metric tons in 1978 to 12.4 million metric tons in 1990, and then on to 47.48 million metric tons in 2008. A similar increase was observed in lake fisheries over the same period. Lake fisheries developed from wild fisheries to stock-enhanced fisheries, and most recently, to a wide range of culture systems including intensive aquaculture. Decades of pursuing high production, with less attention paid to environmental and biological concerns, has resulted in issues related to the sustainability of the fisheries resources and the health of the lake ecosystems. Chinese lakes are now facing declining fisheries resources, eutrophication, reduced biodiversity, and increasing alien species invasions, which individually and jointly challenge lake fisheries management and policy making. However, economic prosperity and improving awareness of environmental protection and food-safety concerns have provided a new opportunity for management of lake fisheries in China. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.