Over the past five years, the local government in Yunnan province has restored Fuxian Lake, its third-largest freshwater lake, back to its former clarity through dozens of ecological restoration projects.

On Friday, the government of Yuxi, the city where the lake is located, organized a series of events commemorating the 12th annual Fuxian Lake Protection Day, including destroying illegal fishing nets, conveying the importance of environmental protection and releasing 350,000 Schizothorax taliensis, an endangered indigenous fish species, back into the lake to balance the ecosystem.

The local government plans to release 700,000 of the fish by the end of this year.