Dams, pollution and overfishing have wiped out a third of the fish species in the Yellow River, China's second longest waterway, state media reported yesterday.
The news heightens fears that the country's big rivers are losing their ability to support life as rapid and poorly regulated economic growth takes an increasingly heavy toll on the environment.
Winding almost 3,400 miles from Tibet to the Bohai Sea, the Yellow River is often described as the cradle of Chinese civilisation. It was traditionally known as China's Sorrow because of its flooding. But its water flow has fallen in recent years as it has become synonymous with over-exploitation of natural resources. As well as providing water for millions of people and 15% of China's farmland, it has been heavily dammed to generate power.
The strains are increasingly evident.
"The Yellow River used to be host to more than 150 species of fish, but a third of them are now extinct, including some precious ones," the People's Daily newspaper quoted an agriculture ministry official as saying. Fishing catches had fallen by 40% in recent years. "It can be mainly blamed on hydroelectric power projects that block fish's migration routes, declining water flow caused by scarce rainfall, overfishing and severe pollution."
Last month, the government said the river was becoming more polluted, with 4.3bn tonnes of effluent dumped into its water in 2005, up from 3.4bn tonnes the previous year. More than two-thirds of the water was unfit to drink.
Despite dire warnings, conservation is given a low priority compared with economic growth. Many river species are suffering. Last year, scientists exploring the Yangtze failed to find a single baiji dolphin - prompting fears that mankind may have killed off the rarest of cetaceans.