WUHAN, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Central China's Hubei Province has banned fishing in 79 nature reserves to restore the ecosystem of the country's longest river, the Yangtze.
The ban will take effect by August 2018, the provincial government said Thursday.
In recent years, wildlife in the Yangtze has declined, leaving many species on the verge of extinction. The annual fish catch in the Yangtze is less than 100,000 tonnes.
Due to a number of factors, fishing has not been completely banned in many nature reserves along the river.
The provincial government has now ordered the local fishing authorities to stop issuing fishing permits and fuel subsidies.
It has also put more financial resources into compensating local fishermen for loss of earnings after the fishing ban goes into effect.
Meanwhile, the Changjiang (Yangtze) Water Resources Commission has ordered an inspection on riverside construction to check for illegal projects that could harm the riverbank.
