NANNING -- A smart monitoring system of a key fishway along the Pinglu Canal has officially started operating, marking new progress in ecological protection.

As a core project of the Western Land-Sea New Corridor, the Pinglu Canal spans approximately 134.2 km, crossing Nanning and Qinzhou in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and flowing into the Beibu Gulf.

Approved in April last year, the fishway features a monitoring system with six core facilities and a comprehensive information platform. Underwater attraction lights guide fish into the channel, while AI recognition and sonar imaging technologies track numbers, species and movements in real time, according to Pinglu Canal Group Co Ltd.

The fishway represents a significant step in making the Pinglu Canal a green project, and has become a highlight of the canal's ecological protection efforts. Authorities will continue optimizing the monitoring system to support the development of a world-class ecological waterway.