CBCGDF volunteers patrol Baiyangdian: Ground cages are rampant and unmanaged

 In early April 2025, the director of the Hebei Sand Martin Conservation Area of CBCGDF went to patrol the Baiyangdian area and was surprised to find that the entire lake area was full of ground cages as far as the eye could see, with a very high density. Could it be that laying ground cages in Baiyangdian is legal and compliant? This puzzled the volunteers.

 

According to CBCGDF volunteers, they originally planned to patrol the wintering migratory birds in the lake and check the bird protection status. However, after arriving at the area near Xiong'an New Area in Baiyangdian, they found that frogs were croaking along the way. Although there were still many migratory birds such as white-bone tops staying in the lakes, they were still active in the lake area. It was rare to see illegal hunting tools such as bird nets, but there were a lot of ground traps in the lake water. "Almost every small stick sticking out of the water has a ground trap hanging underneath, and the lake is full of them," said the volunteer. Some ground traps were even just suspended by a beverage bottle and floated on the water.

 

Recently, CBCGDF volunteers found a large number of ground trap nets in the Baiyangdian area. Most of them were fine-mesh ground trap nets, which were the extinction-type ground trap nets that the government departments of counties and cities around Baiyangdian deliberately emphasized to avoid when planning to replace the nets.

 

According to the relevant provisions of the National Wildlife Protection Law, this kind of fine-mesh ground trap net is an illegal fishing tool that is prohibited from use. Spring is the breeding season for aquatic species such as fish and shrimp in the water. Such indiscriminate and disorderly high-density fishing will directly damage the biological resources in the lake area. So, why can the local management department turn a blind eye to the dense ground trap nets in the Baiyangdian area?

 

Original Chinese Article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/0jtaWmknaZolkO2tpT0_4g

Translator: Maggie

Editor: Maggie

Checked by: YJ     

Contact: v10@cbcgdf.org; +8617319454776

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