China Considers 10-Year Fishing Ban in Yangtze River Due to Overfishing

NANJING, CHINA - APRIL 16: (CHINA OUT) Polluted water flows into the Yangtze River from a stream April 16, 2007 in Nanjing of Jiangsu Province, China. The Yangtze River has become one of the most polluted rivers in the world. According to State Environmental Protection Administration China has more than 20,000 chemical factories distributed along its major rivers, including 10,000 along the Yangtze River and 4,000 along the Yellow River. Photo by China Photos/Getty Images

China’s agricultural and fishery authorities in 2003 began imposing an annual three-month fishing ban in the Yangtze River to reverse the continuous decline of aquatic life.

As the Yangtze ecosystem has worsened over the past 16 years, China is considering a 10-year total fishing ban in the river, Chinese state media Guangming Daily reported on Oct. 15.