Large areas of steel wire fences have divided the Dongting Lake into sections, leaving distinct "cages." (Photo/thePaper.cn)

Dongting Lake, China's second largest freshwater lake, serves as the main flood basin of the Yangtze River. It is also one of the most significant wetlands in the world. However, according to local environmental protection volunteers, large stretches of steel wire fencing currently divide the lake into individual "cages," Thepaper.cn reported on Nov. 30.

Dongting Lake is in its dry season. The 6-meter-high steel wire fence has turned the lake into a kind of maze. Local fishermen revealed that when the fences emerged from the water at the start of the dry season, many fish were trapped in the fenced-off compartments. The fences have severely affected fishing resources, according to the fishermen.

Large areas of steel wire fences have divided the Dongting Lake into sections, leaving distinct "cages." (Photo/thePaper.cn)

A villager in Nandashan County in Hunan province noted that the highest water level of Dongting Lake was lower in 2016 than in 1966, yet it took more time for the flood to retreat because of the fences, meaning that farmers lost out on part of the growing season.

A local official surnamed Wang told a reporter that the fences have stood in the lake for at least six years.

"The lake was originally contracted to individuals for cutting reeds. When the reed business began to shrink, contractors turned to building fences for aquaculture." When asked why no one had stopped them, the official replied, "The municipal government ordered that the fences be demolished in March of this year. We are required to finish demolition by Dec. 15."

Large areas of steel wire fences have divided the Dongting Lake into sections, leaving distinct "cages." (Photo/thePaper.cn)

He Daming, head of an ecological protection association for eastern Dongting Lake, said that the fences are a common feature around the entire body of water. Fences in the eastern and western sections of the lake are mainly small and made of bamboo, however; the steel wire fences in the southern section are far more numerous and large-scale.

Wang Xuguang, an official with the Animal Husbandry and Fishery Bureau of Hunan province, pointed out that the fences in the lake are actually illegal.

Large areas of steel wire fences have divided the Dongting Lake into sections, leaving distinct "cages." (Photo/thePaper.cn)

"The demolition of fences spans the fishing, water and environment protection industries. The work cannot be done immediately, though we have made more efforts this year," he said.

According to the bureau's website, a meeting about the comprehensive treatment of aquaculture in Dongting Lake was held on Nov. 25. The provincial government will soon take special actions for pollution control and fence demolition in the lake.

Large areas of steel wire fences have divided the Dongting Lake into sections, leaving distinct "cages." (Photo/thePaper.cn)