Draft law aims for fishing moratorium for Yellow River basin

China plans to introduce a fishing moratorium in key water bodies in the Yellow River basin, the country's second longest, as it makes intensified efforts to conserve the watercourse dubbed the mother river of China, according to a draft law.

It will be compulsory for governments above the county level to offer necessary support to fishermen during the ban, according to the draft law on protecting the river, which was submitted to an ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, for the first reading.

Aside from the moratorium, a series of other measures, including building artificial breeding bases for endangered aquatic species, will also be rolled out to help remediate the ecosystem in the basin, the draft said.

In projects that hinder the breeding migration of fish, channels will be built to facilitate their passage, it said. Efforts will also be made to enhance interconnection between rivers and lakes.

Approaches that jeopardize fishing resources in the basin will be banned, including those using explosives and poison, it added.