Approved by the State Council, a regulated fishing ban will be put into force in 2011 in the areas around the Pearl River, Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.

On October 21, the Ministry of Agriculture issued a notice about the implementation of a regulated fishing ban around the Pearl River. The waters included are; the main river and several important tributaries and connected lakes across six provinces—Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan.

According to the regulation, all kinds of fishing in these waters are strictly forbidden from 12:00 AM April 1 to 12:00 AM June 1 every year.

Fishing ban regulations are protective measures that are adopted during breeding seasons and juvenile fish growth periods. China has implemented a cease fishing system for every summer since 1995 and similar freshwater fishing regulations since 2003.

(China Development Gateway by Jiao Meng October 26, 2010)