1.Hubei Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Project for Fish Resource Conservation,Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute of China Three Gorges Corporation,Yichang 443100,Hubei,China
2.National Engineering Research Center for the Eco-Environment of the Yangtze River Economic Belt,China Three Gorges Corporation,Wuhan 430010,Hubei,China
3.Fisheries Research Institute,Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences,Chengdu 610066,Sichuan,China
To evaluate the initial response of fish communities to the “Ten-Year Fishing Ban” in the National Nature Reserve for Rare and Endemic Fish in the Upper Yangtze River (Yibin–Hejiang section), a survey was conducted across four mainstream reaches (Yibin, Jiang’an, Jiangyang, and Hejiang) in 2024. We analyzed fish species composition, ecological types, dominance patterns, and community stability to assess post-ban ecological changes. A total of 5 809 individuals representing 84 species, 59 genera, 18 families, and 4 orders were collected. Notable captures included 5 nationally key-protected wildlife species,namely Acipenser dabryanus, Myxocyprinus asiaticus, Coreius guichenoti, Procypris rabaudi, and Leptobotia elongata, along with 23 Yangtze-endemic fish species and 9 alien fish species. The fish community was characterized primarily by demersal, omnivorous, and rheophilic fishes. Dominant species (IRI > 1000) were identified as Acipenser dabryanus, Coreius heterodon, and Pelteobagrus vachellii. Community-level diversity indices were: Shannon-Wiener = 3.38, Simpson dominance = 0.95, Margalef richness = 9.59, and Pielou evenness = 0.76. Abundance-biomass comparison (ABC) curve analysis indicated that the fish community structures in all surveyed sections were in a state of moderate disturbance. Comparative analysis with pre-ban historical data revealed early signs of recovery: the richness of rare and endemic species increased, and the dominance structure shifted from small-bodied species to a complex assemblage involving medium- and large-sized fish. However, the community structure generally remained in a transitional adjustment phase. These findings provide essential baseline data for monitoring the long-term ecological trajectories of fish communities under the fishing ban.
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