Abstract: The National Nature Reserve for the Rare and Endemic Fishes in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River(NREFURYR) is characterized by openness, transboundarity and ambiguity. With the utilization of waterfront resources, the functional degeneration of the fish spawning grounds is observed in the NREFURYR. Aiming at improving the protection and effectiveness of the NREFURYR, 36 spawning sites in Yibin were selected to conduct on-the-spot investigation. The status quo of fish spawning river sections as well as waterfront utilization, the status of spawning fish and the problems faced by spawning grounds were comprehensively analyzed. Accordingly, the current functional status of spawning grounds were evaluated and ranked. The results showed that the spawning sites with good and medium function account 33.3% of the total sites, as the spawning sites with partial degraded and severe degraded function accounting 61% of that. Facing the future development of fish spawning grounds and the reserve, several proposed implication were put forward, such as carrying out systematic investigation and research to scientifically understand the status of protected objects, well dealing with the relationship between development and protection in order to enhance the sustainability of waterfront utilization, as well as setting up independent management agencies to improve the regulatory effectiveness.