Fishing ban starts in South China Sea
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E-mail Xinhua, May 16, 2012
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China will impose a routine fishing ban in northern parts of the South China Sea, including the waters around Huangyan Island, for two and a half months beginning on May 16, 2012. |
The Hainan provincial marine and fishing department said all 8,994 locally-registered fishing vessels have been moored, affecting 35,611 people.
The annual fishing ban, which has been in place since 1999, will last from May 16 to August 1 this year, covering areas north of the 12th parallel of north latitude, including Huangyan Island but excluding most of the Nansha Islands.
The fishing ban was adopted to promote the sustainable development of the fishing industry in the South China Sea and protect the fundamental interests of fishermen, said officials with the South China Fishery Administration Bureau under the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).
Violators will face punishments such as fines, license revocations, catch and vessel confiscations and even legal consequences, according to a statement issued by the fishery bureau under the MOA.
The provincial fishing authority said fishing vessels with Nansha Islands fishing permits are required to install and switch on vessel positioning equipment so they will not accidentally enter banned water areas.
The fishing ban is also applicable to foreign ships.
A spokesman from the fishery bureau under the MOA said earlier this week that the fishing activity of foreign ships in the banned areas will be seen as a "blatant encroachment on China's fishery resources."
Two law enforcement vessels, "Yuzheng 310" and "Yuzheng 303," or "Fishery Administration 310" and "Fishery Administration 303," were sent by the MOA on Tuesday to patrol the region.
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