Fishermen are embracing the annual harvest season for pond smelts at the Bosten Lake in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China's largest inland freshwater lake and the biggest fishery base in Xinjiang.
For centuries, fishermen and women living by the Bosten Lake have kept alive the tradition of ice fishing -- hand-drilling holes through the thick ice and lowering nets into the waters to catch fish.
"We sometimes catch 500 to 600 kilograms, and sometimes as little as 100 to 200 kilograms [in a day]," said Wu Guangming, a local fisherman.
From January to March each year, it is the prime fishing season for pond smelts at the Bosten Lake. Freshly caught fish are usually sent to local aquaculture companies for sorting and roasting, processed into small dried fish, and sold to various parts of the country.
The lake is rich in fishery resources, with over 30 species of fish and a variety of aquatic products like green shrimp and mussels. Its annual harvest is about 4,000 tons.
In recent years, local authorities have imposed fishing bans at designated periods of time, and promoted a new model of ecological fish farming at the Bosten Lake, as effectively protecting the fishery resources at the lake.
"Every year, we continuously increase fry breeding and release events. For example, we release no less than four million fry at Bosten Lake each year, which has promoted sustainable development of the fishery economy. The annual yield at our lake is approximately 4,000 tons, with a total output value of around 80 million yuan (about 10.91 million U.S. dollars)," said Wang Ying, director of aquatic product service center.
The winter fishing season at the Bosten Lake starts in January and is expected to continue until early March, with an anticipated fish production of over 300 tons this winter.
Harvest season starts for pond smelts at Bosten Lake in northwest China's Xinjiang
