洞庭湖守护者 | Love for mother lake: Dongting defenders

The Yangtze finless porpoise is a freshwater mammal unique in China. According to the Yangtze finless porpoise ecological investigation in 2017, the number of Yangtze finless porpoises stands at 1,012.

Located in northern Hunan Province, Dongting Lake is the second biggest freshwater lake in China, and it is one of the most important habitats for the Yangtze finless porpoise.

长江江豚，中国特有的淡水水生哺乳动物。2017年长江江豚生态科学考察结果显示，长江江豚数量约为1012头。

位于湖南省北部的洞庭湖，是中国第二大淡水湖，也是长江江豚主要的栖息地之一。

洞庭湖，长江江豚主要的栖息地之一。Dongting Lake is one of the most important habitats of the Yangtze finless porpoise.

Mr. He Daming was born here in a fisherman's family. He was a fisherman, but later, he started devoting himself to the environmental protection of the Dongting Lake.

He Dongshun is He Daming's son. After graduating from college, Dongshun decided to work for Dongting Lake's environment with his father. Even though it's tough to work on a small salary, they hope their work can help the Yangtze finless porpoise so that it can live in the Dongting Lake forever. 

何大明就出生在洞庭湖，以前是渔民，祖辈三代在洞庭湖捕鱼为生。经历了洞庭湖无鱼可捕的日子后，他立志要守护洞庭湖的生态环境，开始全职投入环境保护事业。

何大明的儿子何东顺，看到了父亲的艰辛，大学毕业后，他决定回到洞庭湖，和父亲一起守护洞庭湖的生态环境。这个工作即辛苦又赚不到很多钱，但他们希望通过自己的努力留住江豚的微笑。

长江江豚，中国特有的淡水水生哺乳动物。The Yangtze finless porpoise is a freshwater aquatic mammal unique in China.

In 2003, Mr. He Daming rescued a mother and a calf. It was unexpected that these two finless porpoises surrounded Ha Daming's boat and refused to leave. Since then, He sees the finless porpoises as humans, and for him they have emotions. After that, he started to pay attention to the finless porpoises.

2006 was an unforgettable year for He Daming. In August of the lunar calendar, his son wanted to eat some fish, but as a fisherman, he hadn't caught any fish for a long time. He decided to go to a fish market to buy some. But it was shocking that there was not even a fish in the fish market.

2003年，何大明救助了一对被渔网缠身的江豚母子。没想到这对江豚获救后，竟在他的船周边徘徊，久久不肯离去。他开始意识到江豚是有感情的，决定开始了解它们。

2006年对他来说是难忘的一年。那一年的农历八月，他已经连续好几天没捕到鱼了。儿子想吃鱼，他只能去鱼市场买，但令他惊讶的是，他跑遍了整个鱼市场，一条鱼都没找到。

He was soon lost in reflection. If the number of fish in Dongting Lake keeps decreasing, the fishermen can't make a living, and the finless porpoise might suffer from hunger. He thought one of the reasons that cause the decreasing of fish might be illegal fishing, for example, by using high voltage electric shocks. Once they are shocked, a large number of lives might die in a short time, including the finless porpoises. 

He Daming decided to stop the illegal fishing. In the first step, he bought three dictionaries to write a persuasive letter and printed out 1,000 pieces to hand out to fishermen in the Dongting Lake. 

何大明陷入沉思，他很快意识到这个问题没那么简单。洞庭湖的鱼变少了，渔民捕不到鱼，如何维持生计？以鱼为食的江豚又怎么办？他分析，造成渔业资源减少的原因之一，可能是部分渔民的非法捕捞。比如电捕鱼，就是高压电下水，在短时间内会造成大片水域的生物死亡。如果一头怀孕的江豚遭遇电击，即便没有死亡也会流产。

何大明决定行动起来，从制止非法捕捞开始。他立刻买了三本字典，写了一份劝导书，印了一千份分发给渔民。就这样，何大明开始保护洞庭湖的生态环境。

在见豚繁殖期间，何大明每天都住在船上守护江豚生活的那片水域。During Yangtze finless porpoises pregnancy period, they stay on the ship, close to the porpoises, so that they keep them safe every day.

At the very beginning, Mr. He did all the environmental protection work by himself. Then, he called on other fishermen to participate.  Later, he set up an ecological environmental protection association and led a group of people to protect their mother lake. 

First, they go on patrol, then figure out the problem at hand, then call the related departments, and finally, they help those departments solve the problem. 

先是自己干，接着带领一帮渔民兄弟姐妹一起做，再后来成立了生态保护协会。巡护、发现问题、通知有关部门、再协助有关部门解决问题，这样的行动模式着实取缔了洞庭湖上不少违法行为。

When female Yangtze finless porpoises are on their pregnancy period, Mr. He stays on the ship near the habitat of finless porpoises every day to keep them safe.  He also needs to patrol the lake. Even if they receive a volunteer call from 100km away at midnight, they should go immediately. While going on patrol at a high speed by the light of the moon, He Daming should keep away from every submerged rock of the lake. To figure out if high voltage electric fishing is being used, you don't use your eyes, but your ears and experience. He could hear the boat which is using electric shocks about 16 km away. 

在江豚产仔的那段时间，何大明每天都住在船上，守护着江豚生活的那片水域。这段时间，几乎每天都要巡护。即便是半夜接到100公里以外的志愿者举报，他们也必须行动。借助月光，何大明的巡护艇能以每小时90公里的速度行驶在湖面上，他必须凭借白天对湖况的记忆，躲避暗礁。发现电捕鱼的船，绝非靠眼睛看，而是凭耳朵听，多年来的经验，方圆十六公里的电捕鱼船，何大明一听一个准。

Seeing more than 70 finless porpoises jumping in the area where he has protected, He Daming was not excited, mixed feelings filled his heart. He knows it's not easy.

He Daming is pleased that his son Dongshun can defend their mother lake. Dongshun feels the honor to engage in Dongting protection with his father. "If I have children, I will tell them with pride, your father and grandfather are both protecting the Yangtze finless porpoise," said Dongshun.

They believe that so many people helping to protect the lake, means that later Dongting will be a lake in which people could see birds flying in the sky, elks walking on the wetland, and the Yangtze finless porpoises smiling in the water. 

看到七十多头江豚在他们守护的扁山岛附近的水域跳跃，何大明并不开心，反而是百感交集。因为他很清楚，这是多少人多少年的努力才换来的场景，来之不易。

儿子东顺的加入让何大明倍感欣慰。东顺也为自己能为母亲湖贡献一份力量感到光荣：“以后我可以很自豪地和我的孩子讲，你们现在看到的江豚，你的爸爸守护过，你的爷爷也守护过。”

他们相信，这么多人参与保护的洞庭湖，以后一定是个天上有候鸟、地上有麋鹿、水里有江豚的洞庭湖。 

越来越多人参与洞庭湖生态保护。More and more people engage in the environmental protection of the Dongting Lake.

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