Changes in Fisheries and Water Environments of Lake Taihu, China

Abstract

Lake Taihu is a large shallow lake located in the Yangtze River Delta. Over the years, 107 fish species have been recorded in this lake, and its fisheries have a long tradition of playing an important role in the local economy. However, environmental changes such as eutrophication have threatened the fisheries during the past three decades. In our recent survey, only 58 fish species were collected. Although there has been a tremendous increase in total fishery catches during thepast 50 years, some traditional and important fishery species such as salangids and shrimps have shown a decrease in their catches in recent years