A three-month fishing ban will become effective in April on the Yangtze River in order to protect fishery resources and improve the ecological environment.

The ban will last from April 1 till June 30 on the sections of the Yangtze in central China's Hubei Province.

All fishing activities will be prohibited in the Hubei section of the Yangtze and the Hanjiang River, a major tributary of the Yangtze.

The ban will also cover the waters in Danjiangkou, Zhanghe reservoirs as well as Liangzi and Changhu lakes during the banning period.

The ban will affect 13,000 fishermen who are expected to be given government subsidies.

It is the fifth year for fishing ban to be implemented on the Yangtze River.

(Xinhua News Agency March 11, 2006)