Chinese vice premier stresses Yangtze River fishing ban

Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, speaks at a teleconference that focuses on work related to the Yangtze River fishing ban on Dec. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng on Tuesday urged adherence to the problem-oriented approach to advance the implementation of the 10-year fishing ban along the Yangtze River.

Provinces and municipalities along the Yangtze have taken measures in an orderly fashion that have laid a good foundation for implementing a complete fishing ban in key waters of the Yangtze, Han said during a teleconference that focused on work related to the Yangtze River fishing ban.

He said that the 10-year fishing ban is a long-lasting, arduous, and complicated task. It requires a steadfast problem-oriented approach and persistent efforts, he added.

In January, China began a 10-year fishing moratorium in 332 conservation areas in the Yangtze River basin, which will expand to all the natural waterways of the country's longest river and its major tributaries from no later than Jan. 1, 2021.

Efforts should go into helping the fishermen who retired their boats and nets find new employment and resettle, while assistance measures for them should be more targeted and tailored, the vice premier said.

Illegal fishing should be eradicated, oversight on markets should be strengthened, and public awareness that supports the implementation of the ban should be enhanced, he said.

The vice premier also stressed improvement in the comprehensive treatment of the Yangtze to protect its aquatic biodiversity.

By mid-December, 231,000 fishermen on 111,000 boats had relinquished their nets in ten provincial regions along the river, data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs showed.