Who owns the river?

The Baiji (Lipotes vexillifer ) or the Yangtze river Dolphin of China, also called the white-fin dolphin, is the first dolphin to be declared “extinct” in today’s times. Within a few decades of rapid industrialization and the setting up of hydro-electric projects on the Yangtze river, the population of the Baiji went from 6000 in the 1950s to zero in the last decade.

The Baiji were sometimes caught in fishing nets, or struck by boats and steamers, or killed by the pollutants and effluents released by the industries surrounding the Yangtze. The Baiji was declared extinct in December 2006 after an extensive survey, with the causes being entirely man made.The Baiji, like all other dolphins, is a mammal, hence breathes through its lungs.

It was the only living representative of the family Lipotidae, and evolutionarily distinct. Pale blue to gray on the dorsal (back) side, and white on the ventral (belly) side, it has a dorsal fin that resembles a light-colored flag when the dolphin swims just below the surface of the murky river waters, earning it its name. Because of its poor vision, the baiji relies primarily on sonar for navigation.

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It was still dark outside, but Chang was already out with his fishing net. He pushed out his little boat into the Yangtze river, and it rocked gently on the waves. He said a silent prayer to his dead father’s soul as he slipped into the boat, that he should get a good catch that day.

His father had been a fisherman too. He thought wistfully of his younger brother Liu, who no longer stayed with him. Liu had refused to become a fisherman and had gone to Shanghai to take up a job. As their father lay on his deathbed and pleaded with Liu to take up the family profession, Liu had stormed out of the house, vowing never to return.

Chang sighed and set about his work. He belonged to a family that followed traditional fishing methods. He didn’t want a catch that provided him more than he needed; he wanted just enough to fulfil his needs for that day. But there were huge fishing trawlers that had begun to roam the rivers of the Yangtze now, monsters that used electronic and mechanical devices to catch fish. The “fishing trawls” – huge nets that were pulled along the bottom of the river, hauled in lots of fish, of all kinds. They were owned by big commercial fishing companies that sought to make profits and nothing else.

The trawlers were a danger to small-time fishermen like Chang too, who had to go fishing earlier than usual to get his share. As he threw his net into the black waters, Chang wondered how he would carry on his work with the fishing companies growing in strength. He would probably have to find work on those trawlers he mused.

As Chang pulled in his net, he was delighted to find big Mandarin fish, sturgeons and carp among his catch. But his net was still heavy. Wondering what he had caught, he pulled it in further. He was shocked to find a Baiji— the White fin Dolphin that lived on their river— trapped in his net!

“What have I done?” thought Chang. “Oh, the poor gentle creature! I must free it at once!” The Baiji was considered the Goddess of the River too, which made Chang feel twice as guilty. He hurriedly tried to disentangle his nets and free the Dolphin, but the more he tried, the knottier they got, for his hands were trembling in trepidation.

The Dolphin lay motionless, but looked at him with its small mournful eyes, breathing heavily. At last, Chang cut open his net, and gently pushed the Dolphin out. The Dolphin swam out in to the water, but jumped a small loop in the air, as though thanking him for letting it go. Chang sat down, tired. Some of the other fish he had caught escaped too, and Chang was left with a very small catch. His only good net was spoilt as well. He sat there, lost in thought about what he would do next. Maybe he could borrow some money from the local moneylender to buy a new fishing net.

A horn sounded from a steamboat nearby, snapping Chang out of his reverie. What a busy place the river was becoming, he wondered. He watched as a fishing trawler made its way down the river. What if the trawler caught the Dolphin he had just freed, thought Chang apprehensively. Holding the spoilt fishing net in his hands, he made his way back home, promising himself that come what may, he would not work for the commercial fishing companies.

Years passed, and Chang remained the poor fisherman he was. His business went from bad to worse; the river was no longer the plentiful source of food or peace, but a decaying water body full that was being used for its resources indiscriminately, and also a busy waterway. Their village was no longer a peaceful haven, but a busy, polluted commercial town with lots of activity and commotion all throughout the day and night. They now had electricity and big industries that provided employment to thousands of people. Chang could not adapt to the change, and he found himself aging rapidly. One day, however, something happened to lift his spirits. It was a letter from Liu! After all those years! Liu was finally going to come back home!

When Liu arrived, he was hardly recognizable. City life had changed him, and he looked sophisticated in his urban clothes, while Chang remained the poor villager. His talk, his mannerisms, had all changed. “Going to Shanghai was the best decision of my life, brother”, he told Chang gleefully. “I know that wasn’t what our poor father had wanted from me, but…”

“That’s alright, brother”, said Chang, who was more than overjoyed to see his brother again. He took Liu in his boat down the river to relive their old memories. “Is that a Baiji there?” exclaimed Liu suddenly. “It’s been ages since I have seen one. Can we row closer there?”

“There are no more white-finned dolphins left in the river, brother”, said Chang sadly. “That may not be a Baiji.”

“Oh”, said Liu, and shrugged. They came back home for lunch, a simple meal prepared by Chang. Liu wrinkled his nose at the small hut that had stood from their father’s time. “What’s this brother? Why are you staying in this old, broken-down hut when all around you better houses with electricity have come up?”

Chang only gave a wan smile. “What work do you do there, brother?” he asked, changing the subject. “You seem to have done very well for yourself!”

“Oh, haven’t you heard of the dams we built on the river? I am one of those who were involved in it from the very beginning. I started off very small, but now I am in a big position. All this prosperity that you see in our village, is because of our work. The dams we built harness water to generate electricity, which is very cheap! That’s why everyone here is able to afford it. I also have a stake in some of these commercial fishing companies”, said Liu proudly.

“I thought you hadn’t wanted to be a fisherman at all, Liu, but it looks like you have become one after all, and on a much larger scale than me or Father”, said Chang quietly. Liu scowled. “Oh, I’m not doing any fishing myself, am I?” he asked defensively. “I just get a share of the profits.”

“A very good share, I must say”, said Chang silently eyeing Liu’s get-up and his bulging pockets. “But what about the river itself? Did you think about how its natural system has been damaged by your work? You asked me about the Baijis. Do you realize that not a single one is left now?”

“So? Do the Baijis own the river that we can’t use it?” asked Liu, with a sneer. “Haven’t you been using the river too, by being a fisherman? Is the harm done only when I do something?”

“I have never taken more than what I need”, replied Chang. “Nor has father. And we never polluted the river this way, or disturbed the life of the creatures in the river to this extent.”

Liu didn’t have an answer. He changed the subject, spoke about the weather and talked of his wife and kids back in Shanghai. As he was about to leave, he invited Chang to visit him at Shanghai. “And you should break down this hut and build a proper house”, he told his poor brother. “How do I bring my family here to this poor shelter?”

“Why don’t you rebuild this yourself? I don’t have any money”, said Chang, smiling.

Liu frowned. “Why should I? I don’t own that responsibility.”

Chang laughed. “Did you own the river then, that you could exploit it so much?”