Zhang Hecheng, vice-director of the ministry's Fisheries Bureau, said a moratorium will be put into place on the upper reaches of the river from February 1 to April 30, and on the middle and lower reaches for two months starting April 1.

The prohibition will cover 4,251 kilometres of the major courses of the river from Deqin County in Yunnan Province, Southwest China, to the river's estuary, according to the ministry.

As China's major freshwater aquatic producer, the 6,300-kilometre Yangtze River has contributed 60 percent of the country's total annual freshwater catch, according to ministry statistics.

The annual catch of aquatic products has dropped to 100,000 tons in recent years as a result of over-fishing, Zhang said, less than one-fourth of what Yangtze River Valley fishermen caught in 1954, which reached 427,000 tons.

To promote sustainable development of the fishery industry and protect the diversity of water creatures in the Yangtze River, the country decided to prohibit fishing during spring, when key species - such as herring and chub - breed, he said.

Provinces and cities affected by the arrangement include Yunnan, Sichuan and Hubei provinces and Chongqing Municipality.

"The timing and places the moratorium is to be placed are based on scientific research and investigations," Zhang said. "They are subject to changes following several years of a trial operation."

The investigations found most Yangtze River fishermen welcomed the idea of having the fishing ban because they believe they will eventually benefit, he said.

Similar fishing moratoriums imposed on the coastal areas of East and South China seas and the Yellow Sea in the summer in the past few years have helped offshore fishermen cut production costs and increase catch volume, the vice-director said.

However, the ban will affect the livelihoods of nearly 50,000 fishermen and 23,000 fishing vessels currently work on the river and its tributaries, according to latest statistics from central and local government departments.

During the fishing prohibition period, the fishermen will receive law and professional training, or be moved to other industries, he said.

Asked if the country's fish market will be affected by the ban, Chen Yide, another ministry official, said he did not expect the arrangement to cause price hikes, as supply will be sufficient due to stockpiles.

(China Daily January 8, 2002)