In 1989–92 the Government of the People's Republic of China, assisted by the United Nations Development Program and the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, were engaged in project CPR/88/077, Fisheries Development in Qinghai Province.
Qinghai Province is a remote part of north-western China, bounded by the provinces of Gansu and Sichuan and the Xinjiang Uygur and Xizang (Tibet) autonomous regions. It is an arid region of high mountains and plateaus (area 721,100 km2, average altitude 4000 m, annual precipitation <10 cm), with a continental climate of cold winters and mild summers. The human population of 4.47 M includes Tibetans, Han (Chinese), Hui (Chinese Muslims), Mongols and many other national minorities. Agriculture is a major occupation, although less than one percent of the land area is cultivated. Twenty nine percent of the arable area is under irrigation, mainly for barley, rape and wheat, and the remainder is pasture for yaks and sheep at high altitudes and cattle and sheep at low altitudes. The annual per capita income of the rural producers is RMB250 (US$38), compared to the provincial average of RMB342 (US$54). The province is among the poorest in China.
Qinghai has about 2 M ha of natural waters and 1.8 M ha of man-made lakes, many with potential for aquaculture and capture fisheries, notwithstanding the cold climate. Part of this project has been devoted to preparing a basis for intensive culture of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), a species tolerant of cold water. The results are described in a report by Chief Technical Advisor Dr D. Edwards (FAO 1992).
A second part of the project has concerned the provincial capture fisheries. At present the only significant capture fishery is at Qinghai Lake, a large, high-altitude, saline lake (4437 km2, 3194 m, 12.5 g L-1) on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau (Fig. 1.1). The fishery is based on a single species, the naked carp Gymnocypris przewalskii (Kessler) (Cyprinidae: Schizothoracinae), and has yielded about 176,000 tonnes since it was opened to commercial exploitation in 1959. Annual catches have followed the pattern typical of a virgin fishery, with large catches in the first few years (maximum 28,500 tonnes in 1960), declining as the larger, older fish were removed (minimum 2500 tonnes in 1983). The present catch is estimated at 3000 tonnes, about half of which is captured by pair trawling and marketed by a fish factory on the lake shore. Since 1987 the factory has officially been limited to a quota of 1200 tonnes, although this may have been exceeded. Another estimated 800 tonnes is taken by licensed fishermen, mainly using gill nets, and the remainder is taken illegally, also mainly with gill nets.
Annual fish consumption in Qinghai Province is about 0.05 kg per capita, whereas the national consumption of aquatic products is about 5.56 kg per capita (1987 data). The disparity is explained by the absence of fishery traditions among the Mongols and Tibetans (for whom fish have religious significance), and by the ready availability of beef and mutton. Naked carp is regarded as an inferior food, particularly after freezing, and sells for only RMB2–3 (<US$0.45) per kilogram compared with RMB10–15 (<US$2.30) for live common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and up to RMB20 (US$3.00) for rainbow trout. There is arguably little difference in the palatability of the carp species, however, and it is likely that naked carp products could be made more attractive by improvements in processing and marketing.
The naked carp is slow-growing, taking 7 years to attain sexual maturity and a marketable weight of 300 g, and has a maximum lifespan of about 20 years. It is remarkable among cyprinids in having a life history like that of a salmonid: the fish seasonally migrate from the lake to spawn over the sandy, gravel beds of inflowing rivers swollen by water from melting ice and snow. The spawning areas have been reduced by construction of weirs and irrigation diversions, however, and recruitment may have declined as a result The fish population may also have been affected by a 1.85-m fall in the lake surface level over the past 30 years, and by corresponding changes in salinity. These changes reflect a long-established climatic trend towards increased aridity, and probably have been exacerbated by irrigation development and other pressures associated with a growing human population. The effects need to be monitored carefully as the fish population—and the lake ecosystem in general—could take a long time to recover from over-exploitation.
This profile of the Qinghai Lake fishery suggests the need for careful management to ensure that its potential is realised. Accordingly, the goal of this part of the project has been to formulate a Management Plan for consideration by the provincial government
The aims were to gather comprehensive information about (a) the lake environment, (b) the fish population and (c) the fishery. In 1989 a work program of eight modules was planned, each consisting of one or more tasks defined by specific goals, methods for implementation, duration and frequency of sampling (where appropriate), necessary equipment and responsible personnel. In outline, the program was as follows:
module 1 equipment
module 2 refit survey vessel
module 3 data processing
module 4 survey spawning sites and evaluate breeding success
module 5 limnological investigations
module 6 benthic sampling
module 7 experimental fishing
module 8 sample commercial catch
Modules 1–2 were programmed for rapid completion, whereas modules 3–8 required attention throughout the project. All tasks were assigned to a timetable, and subject to review depending on progress.
Members of the Lake Investigation Team in 1992 were:
| Mr Yang Hongzhi | Team Leader |
| Ms Chen Yianqi | Fish biology, limnology |
| Ms Hu Zhuihua | Water analysis, equipment |
| Mr Lei Zhengzou | Fish biology, limnology |
| Ms Ma Shenxio | Fish biology, data processing |
| Ms Wang Lihua | Water analysis |
| Mr Wang Zhenji | Fish biology, limnology |
| Mr Yian Zhongshuen | Fish biology, limnology |
| Ms Ying Xiuli | Data processing |
| Ms Zhang Lijuan | Data processing |
Those with full-time commitments to the project throughout 1992 were Mr Yang, Ms Ma and Ms Zhang. Past members have included Ms Hu Chuihua, Mr Wang Jiling, Mr Yuan Yonggue and Ms Zhang Yijiang.
In 1992 the crew of the research boat Hai Hu Hao included captains Mr Chou Chuanyuan and Mr Zhu Honglian, motorman Mr Liu Zhonghe and deckhand Mr Wang Jinshan.
The National Project Director (NPD) was Mr Qiu Benchen, Director of the Bureau of Aquatic Products, Xining. The Deputy NPD (initially leader of the Lake Investigation Team) was Mr Ying Baicai, also of the Bureau.
FAO personnel who contributed to project management included Mr H. Dall and Mr B. Klinke (Beijing) and Dr W.L. Chan and Dr T. Petr (Rome).
Project operations in Xining were overseen by a number of specialists working in collaboration with the Chief Technical Advisor, Dr D. Edwards (International Fish Fanning Consultancy, UK):
| Dr I.G. Dunn | Fish management |
| Dr J.F. Muir | Aquaculture |
| Mr C.J. Smith | Equipment and laboratory training |
| Mr A.G. J. Tacon | Fish feed formulation |
| Mr L. Váradi | Hatchery design |
| Dr K.F. Walker | Lake management |
Three advisors made major contributions to the work at Qinghai Lake. Dr Dunn (Aquatic Biology Consulting Services, UK) established the project and directed field and laboratory work, data analysis and staff training in 1989–91. Mr Smith (also ABCS) purchased supplies and equipment, established a chemical laboratory and trained staff in analytical methods during 1989–91. Dr Walker (University of Adelaide, Australia) supervised the project after April 1992, and was responsible for analyses of the accumulated data and preparation of this report.
Mr Zhu Haimin, although not officially part of the Lake Investigation Team, provided the team with essential support as driver throughout the project
Professors Chen Kezao and Yu Shengsong, Institute of Salt Lake Studies, Xining, provided supporting chemical data and counsel in relation to changes in the lake environment
Professor Wu Yunfei, Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology, Xining, provided information regarding fish biology and taxonomy, and made available facilities for scale analysis. Professor Lu Shonglian, also of the Institute, provided information about plants and soils in the lake region.
Professor W.D. Williams, University of Adelaide, Australia, made available a partial English translation of the report of a survey of Qinghai Lake in 1961–63, published by Academia Sinica.
