In the early morning of August 27, after more than 40 days of searching, the crocodile gar in the Yunchan Lake waters of the Central Park of Ruzhou, Henan was finally captured!
"There are two crocodile gars in total, and the whole process is quite difficult." On the morning of August 27, Cao Ajie, captain of the Blue Sky Rescue Team in Xinhua District, Pingdingshan City, Henan, who participated in the roundup of crocodile gars, told reporters that local firefighters and civilian rescuers assembled A team of nearly 50 people joined forces to round up the crocodile gar. At present, the local crocodile gar has been harmlessly disposed of, and personnel have been arranged to professionally disinfect the lake area.
Not only Ruzhou, Henan, Qingdao, Changsha, and Yinchuan have all discovered
According to the cover news, following the heated discussion about "draining the lake water to catch crocodile gar" in Ruzhou, Henan, the trace of crocodile gar has reappeared in Yinchuan, Ningxia.
On August 26, Mr. Wang of Yinchuan shared a video saying that the fish was found on the Zhonghai International Bridge from Taqu Street, Jinfeng District, with a visual length of 60 to 70 cm.
The Yinchuan Municipal Party Committee Office "asked about the administration of Yinchuan" expressed its concern and asked the Yinchuan Rural Agriculture Bureau to handle it.
According to a report from Red Net Moment News on August 26, that afternoon, Changsha Animal and Plant Disease Prevention and Control Center received a call saying that a citizen had caught a "strange fish" in Yuelu District. Its long mouth was somewhat similar to that of a crocodile. .
According to experts, the "strange fish" that appeared for the first time in Hunan is the "crocodile gar".
"Why the crocodile gar came to Changsha is not yet clear, and the relevant waters are currently being investigated." Experts said that if you find fish suspected of crocodile gar, you must not be careless, please contact the local agricultural and rural department in time to obtain contact for proper handling.
According to a report by the New Yellow River Client on August 27, recently, some people reported that several "strange fish" appeared in the artificial lake in a small district of the West Coast New District of Qingdao. It is suspected to be an alien species, the alligator gar.
After the local government learned the news, they quickly organized the community property and carried out pumping fishing.
On August 27, two alligator gars were brought ashore.
It is understood that there are still uncaught alligator gars in the lake, and fishing is still in progress.
E-commerce still sells crocodile gar online
According to a report by Chinanews.com on August 27, Chinanews Finance checked the e-commerce platform and found that some platforms could no longer search for crocodile gar, but on some e-commerce platforms, there were still merchants selling crocodile gar. , A crocodile gar can be bought for only a few dozen yuan, and the expensive one is only a few hundred yuan.
Observed
How difficult is it to manage alligator gars?
Easy to buy online and offline, difficult to capture in water
For the alligator gar, the governance difficulties can be summarized for two reasons.
First, alligator gar can be easily purchased in both online and offline markets.
Previously, the reporter visited a flower, bird and fish market in Chaoyang District, Beijing as a consumer, and found that there are about 6 shops selling alligator gar, and many sellers told the reporter that alligator gar is very good to feed.
There are also crocodile gars for sale online. There are stores with monthly sales of more than 1,000 crocodile gars, with prices ranging from 10.8 yuan to 400 yuan.
"The trade is not regulated, and you can buy at will. Buyers are scattered and widely distributed." Gu Dangen, an expert in the prevention and control of alien species invasion in the National Bulk Freshwater Fish Industry Technology System, said that once the purchased alligator gar was discarded or released to the ground Natural water bodies, hazards will follow.
Secondly, after the crocodile gar enters the water body, it is not easy to find, and it is difficult to fish.
"If a crocodile gar appears in a river, lake or reservoir, it is basically impossible to remove it. Because the water body is too large, it is impossible to drain the water for a crocodile gar. The cost is too high." Dang En said.
"Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs took the lead, and the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and other ministries and commissions will launch a new national key management invasive species list, and we recommend that alligator gar be included in it." Gu Dangen revealed to reporters.
It is reported that the aquatic invasive alien species that will be included in the new "List of Invasive Alien Species under National Key Management", as well as Brazilian tortoise, snapping turtle, "scavenger fish" (scientific name leopard-winged catfish), tilapia chinensis fish etc.
Breakthrough in invasive alien species management
Control from the source starts from the grassroots level
In the case of the crocodile gar, governance is "killing at the source".
Gu Dangen emphasized.
According to the staff of Beijing Customs, according to Chinese laws and regulations, the entry aquatic animals should be included in the access list published by the General Administration of Customs and listed in the trade contract or Before the agreement is signed, the "Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine License" can be obtained before import.
The reporter's inquiry found that the list of countries or regions and species of aquatic animals that have been admitted on the official website of the General Administration of Customs includes the gar family in Indonesia.
The reporter consulted Tianjin Customs and learned that this means that gar from Indonesia can be imported into China.
In this access list, the reporter did not find any gar aquatic animals from other countries or regions.
"Now the customs has begun to pay attention to this issue." Gu Dangen told reporters, "Some time ago, the relevant person in charge of the customs department came to us and asked us to provide some pictures of invasive aquatic organisms such as crocodile gar, and then we should strengthen management, explain For the prevention of the invasion of alien species, various departments are taking action."
The "Measures for the Administration of Invasive Alien Species", which came into effect on August 1 this year, stipulates that the customs should strengthen the prevention and control of invasive alien species at ports, and crack down on illegal acts such as the illegal introduction, carrying, delivery, and smuggling of alien species.
The discovered invasive alien species and the alien species that have been assessed as having an invasive risk shall be disposed of in accordance with the law.
"The "Administrative Measures for Invasive Alien Species" is my country's first management method for the prevention and control of alien species. The functions of prevention and control and monitoring will help to further improve the efficiency of customs enforcement at ports." Zhang Hongmei, director of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Division of Beijing Customs, said.
The Work Plan for Further Strengthening the Prevention and Control of Alien Species Invasion also stipulates that the management of the introduction of alien species should be strengthened.
It is clear: "Strictly approve the introduction of alien species in accordance with the law, strengthen the management and control of their use after introduction, and no unit or individual may introduce, release or discard alien species without approval."
On the other hand, the prevention and control of invasive alien species must start from the grassroots level, Gu Dangen said.
Alligator gars are often discarded by farmers or released into the wild, causing harm.
In this regard, Chapter 3, Article 38 of the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife" clearly stipulates that any organization or individual that releases wild animals into the wild environment should choose local species suitable for wild survival in the release area, and must not interfere with the normal life of local residents. , production, to avoid harm to the ecosystem.
Anyone who releases wild animals at will, causing personal or property damage to others or endangering the ecosystem, shall bear legal responsibility according to law.
Li Li said that this regulation is very strict, so in the past one or two years, the random release of animals has been curbed to some extent.
In addition to not buying and releasing crocodiles at will, if citizens see someone releasing crocodile gars, they can report to the fishery department.
extend
Not just alligator gars, these invasive alien species must also be managed
In Juma River, one of the five major water systems in Beijing, Li Li, the head of the Beijing Black Panther Wildlife Conservation Station, found that snapping turtles had appeared in the area during patrol and monitoring.
"In summer, I see a few snapping turtles basking on the beach, and sometimes I can hear bullfrogs chirping."
"Brazilian tortoises and snapping turtles have a high survival rate, and their growth cycle is shorter than that of native turtles. They grow especially fast, and they will compete for the food of native species and squeeze the living space of native species." Li Li said that some of the Brazilian tortoises and snapping turtles grow up very fast. Turtles may survive the winter in Beijing, which is a very bad development direction.
Li Zhenyu, a researcher at the State Key Laboratory of System and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, told reporters that these aquatic invasive species are typical of ecological hazards, "If you accidentally put your hand in front of a snapping turtle, it may bite off your finger directly. ."
Like alligator gars, managing these aquatic invasive species is not easy.
"When we patrolled, we found snapping turtles or Brazilian turtles, but they were generally not caught, because they are very sensitive, and choosing a place to perch is also conducive to escaping, such as with their heads facing the water. As soon as you get a little closer, it will slide into the water instantly." Li Li said.
As for aquatic invasive plants, their harm should not be underestimated.
"In severe cases, aquatic plants will block the waterway. For example, Spartina alterniflora may entangle the propellers of fishing boats. Floating plants such as water hyacinth are easy to find, but submerged plants live underwater and you can't see them at all." Li Zhenyu introduce.
According to the "2019 China Ecological Environment Status Bulletin" issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on June 2, 2020, more than 660 invasive alien species have been discovered nationwide.
The harm of invasive alien species deserves attention.
Public information shows that my country is one of the countries most seriously affected by the invasion of alien species.
Taking the invasion of forest pests as an example, the average annual area during the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" period is 170 million mu, causing direct economic losses and ecological service value losses of 110 billion yuan. The average annual loss of forestry caused by etc. is as high as 11 billion yuan.