Recently, the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture Bureau of Agriculture and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Namtha Province, Laos, released the first batch of fish fries into the Namtha River (a tributary of the Mekong River) Fish Resources Protection Area on the China-Laos border.

A total of over 60,000 yellow carp and freshwater catfish juveniles, measuring 3-5 centimeters in length, were released. These small fish were provided by the Xishuangbanna Fishery Technology Popularizing Station and were transported to the site after a routine quarantine inspection. The Lancang-Mekong River, running through six countries, is the longest transnational river in Asia. The fish fry replenishing effort is themed “Protecting Aquatic Living Resources in the Greater Mekong and Promoting the Harmonious Development Between Man and Nature”. It aims to draw attention from concerned parties to the protection of a more ecological environment and raise awareness of rare indigenous fish resources in the Mekong River basin. It is hoped that people will join hands in safeguarding the ecosystem of this transnational river and gradually restore rare wild fish stocks in the Greater Mekong area.