New fishing ban on Yangtze River announced
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-01-31 15:35

The Chinese government will continue its fishing ban along the Yangtze River, the country's longest, in 2006 to help protect depleting fish resources, the fishery department of the Ministry of Agriculture said.

The ban will last from February 1 till April 30 on the river's upper reaches, stretching from southwest China's Yunnan Province to the central Hubei Province. On the lower reaches, the ban will be effective from April 1 to June 30.

The ban will also cover Poyang and Dongting lakes, two major fresh water lakes connected with the Yangtze.

All fishing activities will be banned during the period. If any State-level fry-breeding farms need to fish for fry or any scientific institutions need to fish for research purposes, they must apply for approval from the Ministry of Agriculture.

The fishing ban coincides with the spring season, when the fish lay eggs.

The Chinese authorities first imposed the ban on the lower reaches of the river in 2002 on a trial basis. In the following year, the central government extended the ban coverage to the entire river.