Fishing bans extended on Yellow River

Maintaining stocks, protecting ecology main motives; violators may face criminal penalty

Fishing will be banned every year from April 1 to June 30 on China's second-longest river to protect its fishing resources and biodiversity, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The ban covers the main portion of the Yellow River, which extends more than 5,400 kilometers, as well as primary tributaries of its 13 major branches and three lakes that are connected to the river.