China has imposed a spring fishing ban along the Yangtze River to protect the shrinking resources of fish. The firstever fishing ban on China's longest river started on Monday and will remain in effect for the next three months.
The spring ban prohibits commercial fishing along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It will cover about 4,200 kilometers from China's southwestern province of Yunnan to the river mouth at Shanghai, including the river mainstream, 5 of its branches and 2 lakes in the river basin. The ban will be imposed at different times along the upper and lower reaches, which are divided by the Gezhouba Dam in Yichang, Hubei Province, central China. For 2002, the spring ban will cover the lower reaches down from Yichang and extend to the upper reaches next year.
Li Jianhua, deputy director of the Fishery Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, said,
"Spring is the golden season for fish breeding and the fishing ban will most effectively protect fishing resources."
The number of species of fish in the Yangtze River has shrunk rapidly over the past 2 decades because of years of excessive fishing and pollution in the river. Some species have died out altogether. Fishery authorities are warning wouldbe anglers that they will be strict about imposing the ban and will punish people who violate it.
(cctv.com April 2, 2002)
