China’s Haihe, Liaohe and Songhua River basins will enter a two-and-a-half-month fishing ban, meaning that the country’s four seas and seven key inland basins will enter a comprehensive fishing moratorium. Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued a notice for special law enforcement work to be deployed on the fishing ban zones of Haihe, Liaohe and Songhua River basins’ (hereinafter referred to as “the three major basins in North and Northeast China”).

The notice stressed that the implementation of the special law enforcement work against fishing on the three major basins in North and Northeast China is to implement this year’s Central Document No. 1’s strict guidelines on the closed season system. It is also concerned with the “Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on the implementation of the Haihe, Liao River, Songhua River and Qiantang River and other four basins’ closed season system notice.” There are also other related goals of the important initiative, around the implementation of the closed season system to protect Chinese fisheries resources and water ecological environments that include: to maintain aquatic life diversity, to promote the quality of fisheries development and to effectively enhance the sense of mission and responsibility. There is also a need to take greater efforts, more practical initiatives, meet higher requirements, and perform a solid job in the three major basins of North and Northeast China that are under the fishing ban. Thus the need for special law enforcement and supervision of the work to ensure that the implementation of the closed season system is in place and the implementation of resource conservation measures are also in place.

The notice requires that all localities gather consensus, focus on tackling difficulties, and continue to do a good job in the law enforcement and supervision of the three major river basins in North and Northeast China. Firstly, it will be necessary to refine and promulgate the work plan for the law enforcement of the fishing ban. Besides, there will be a need to keep a close eye on the primary periods, key waters and key objects in the ban, and strictly investigate all illegal and criminal acts that violate the provisions of the fishing ban. This also includes strengthening the capacity building of fishery law enforcement and improving the quality and efficiency of fishery law enforcement. Secondly, there is a need to strengthen the joint logistics linkage, unite the strength of all parties, coordinate and promote, and form a work pattern led by the government, with multi-department participation, fueled by coordinated work. Strengthening cross-regional and cross-departmental law enforcement linkage to achieve the crackdown and thus rectify ills in the whole river basin is also a key objective. Thirdly, it is the aim of the notice to strengthen publicity and guidance, and increase the publicity of the fishing ban system in the three major river basins of North and Northeast China through various means. This includes being dedicated to popularizing the law, increasing the public exposure to major fishing-related crimes, so as to interpret the law case by case and to improve the legal deterrence. This ultimately will mean making good use of social and public opinion supervision to enhance public participation and create a good social atmosphere.

It is reported that the fishing ban in Haihe, Liaohe and Songhua River basins will run from May 16 to July 31, during which all operation methods except fishing gear are prohibited. The scope of the fishing ban includes the main streams and major tributaries of Haihe, Liaohe and Songhua River, as well as the reservoirs, lakes and wetlands belonging to them, involving 10 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities). With the official launch of the fishing ban in Haihe, Liaohe and Songhua River basins, China’s major rivers, lakes and seas will enter a comprehensive rest and recuperation period for aquatic biological resources.

Source: Agri.cn