China begins annual summer fishing ban

An annual summer fishing ban began on Sunday in China’s major seas in the north, east and south to conserve the marine fishery. The fishing ban covers the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the waters north of 12 degrees north latitude in the South China Sea. The fishing moratorium in the South China Sea is expected to end on August 16. China has imposed the annual fishing ban in the South China Sea since 1999 as part of the country’s efforts to promote sustainable marine fishery development and improve marine ecology. The China Coast Guard’s South China Sea branch and local authorities will patrol major fishing grounds and ports for the next three days to ensure the ban is observed. After the middle term of the moratorium, they will hold three law enforcement activities to crack down on illegal fishing and protect marine fishery resources in the Beibu Bay, the Pearl River Estuary, and Fujian and Guangdong provinces’ water border. The fishing ban will end on September 1 for the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea waters north of 35 degrees north latitude. It will last until up to September 16 for the East China Sea based on the use of different fishing nets. – CGTN