Abstract: Fishery industry is an important part of the economy of the Chaohu Lake area. Chaohu Lake, rich in fishery resources and having a large number of fishermen, is an important fishing area in Anhui Province. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chaohu Lake was faced with many difficulties in fishery development, such as disordered production, hard life of fishermen and chaotic water security situation. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Communist Party of China and the government emphasized the development of fishery, by carrying out democratic reform with the elimination of gangs as the core, promoting the cooperative movement, and improving aquaculture technology, which aroused the production enthusiasm of fishermen improved their lives, and also constituted the valuable experience of Anhui fishery management in the early days of the People's Republic of China.

Key words: Chaohu Lake, fishery, fishermen, 1949—1957