XINING, July 4 -- If not for the endemic Huangyu fish(naked carp)in Qinghai lake, retired fisherman Li Jinhai and his family would probably have starved during a famine in the1960s.

The 60-year-old man, like many living in Xinquan village in Qinghai province, owes his life and fortune to the rare fish found exclusively in China's largest inland saltwater lake.

"Thanks to the Huangyu, we have made money, were able to build houses, buy watches and even take wives," said Hu Wenquang, 57, a fellow fisherman from Xinquan village on the shores of Qinghai lake.

Now, as the Huangyu population faces a crisis, those who once depended on the fish for sustenance are exchanging their fishing poles for patrols as they join government efforts to protect the species.

Before 1960, there were an estimated 320,000 tonnes of Huangyu in Qinghai lake. After decades of overfishing, it is on the brink of extinction.

The Qinghai provincial government has issued several fishing bans for Huangyu since the 1980s. Because the lake is so large and the input of fishing quite small, those who depend on the fish for income, which can sell for as high as 20 yuan (3.20 U.S. dollars) per kilogram at local restaurants, have largely ignored the bans, said He Xiaolin, director of the provincial fishing administration.

The population hit a critical point in 2001 when it dropped to an estimated 2,600 tonnes, starving birds and disrupting the ecological balance of the lake.

In 2004, Huangyu was listed in China's Red List of Threatened Species. Sun Shengzhu, a former fisherman from Xinquan Village, admits he was among those who ignored the bans at first.

"I used to catch fish secretly to escape punishment by the government for illegal fishing," Sun said.

But shortly after the fish was listed in 2004 he retired as a fisherman to open a restaurant before starting a pig farm in 2010. Sun now has an annual income of 400,000 yuan from his new business, affording him a much better life than before.

"Starting a new business is difficult, but we cannot live on fishing if the species becomes extinct," he said.

Many former fishermen have gone beyond just changing jobs.

Hu, who has since taken up farming, rides his motorcycle and patrols a 90-kilometer section of shoreline for two hours a day during the off season.

He and his fellow fishermen also release captive-bred fish fry to the lake every summer.

A group of 30 villagers targeting illegal Huangyu fishing, which was organized by a Tibetan former fisherman in 2012, continue to patrol their section of the lake.

With persistent efforts by the government and villagers around the lake, the amount of Huangyu increased to 45,000 tonnes in 2014, according to the provincial fishing administration.

However, experts at the administration estimate that only when there are more than 160,000 tonnes of fish will Qinghai Lake return to normal.

Yu Duojie, director of the fishing administration in Gangcha County near the lake, said illegal fishing still occurs and that the government should help fishermen find new jobs and improve their living standards to prevent them from resuming their old trade.

The local government has encouraged fishermen to look to tourism for new income. The government has also allocated subsidies of about 30,000 yuan to help them renovate their houses and ease their need for income.