NANCHANG, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in eastern China's Jiangxi Province have been clearing up bird netting around the country's largest freshwater lake, in a bid to protect migratory birds.

Since late last year, local forestry authorities have conducted over 940 patrols as part of a migratory bird protection campaign at the wetlands of Poyang Lake. This has resulted in the removal of 23,000 meters of netting and 350 bird traps, helping to save over 600 migratory birds.

From late autumn to early winter each year, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds fly from Russia, Japan and China's northeastern and northwestern regions to settle around Poyang Lake and escape the coming chilly weather.

Apart from futher patrols, local forestry authorities have also been stepping up crackdowns on bird hunting and wetland-damaging activities.

Local authorities have also been taking advantage of the World Wetlands Day and other wild animal protection festivals each year to raise public awareness of bird welfare.