Introduced in 2021, the 10-year fishing ban spans the Yangtze River’s main stream, major tributaries, and connected lakes.
The measure was put in place to safeguard aquatic biodiversity and restore the river’s ecological environment in line with the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
Five years into the ban, the river has seen significant signs of ecological recovery, such as an increase in the Yangtze finless porpoise and Chinese sturgeon populations.
Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhang Zhili, was sharing the results of the ban’s mid-term with the media on January 30.
Zhang emphasised that the ban has not affected the country’s supply of aquatic products. The ban was not expected to have much limited impact on the supply of aquatic products as the annual catch in the Yangtze was less than 100,000 tonnes before the ban.
Conversely, the measures have supported the advancement of China’s fisheries sector.
“[The ban] effectively reduced the utilisation and dependence on natural fishery resources, which is conducive to promoting the scientific conservation of aquatic biological resources, while also enhancing the service functions of aquatic ecosystems and promoting the green transformation and upgrading of the fishery industry,” said Zhang.
Since the ban, areas around the Yangtze have focused on ecological aquaculture, higher-value species and greener production methods.
“The market supply of aquatic products is sufficient, consumers have more and more choices of varieties, and the quality of aquatic products has been further improved,” said Zhang.
Deep impact
The vice minister highlighted that China’s fisheries development policy that prioritises aquaculture, which has remained stable throughout the ban.
China is an important global player and is one of the few which sees aquaculture production exceeding fishing production.
“Nearly 60% of the world’s aquaculture production comes from China. Our country’s total aquatic product output has remained the world’s largest for 36 consecutive years, reaching 73.576 million tons in 2024. Aquaculture production has remained stable at over 80%, while freshwater fishing production was only 1.163 million tons, accounting for less than 1.6%,” said Zhang.
He described China’s aquatic product production system as comprehensive and resilient, with freshwater aquaculture, marine aquaculture and distant-water fisheries developing in a coordinated manner.
“The product structure is constantly being optimised, and the market’s regulatory capacity is sufficient. At the same time, cold chain logistics, processing capacity, and the market system are also continuously improving, providing effective support for the cross-regional allocation and stable supply of aquatic products. In recent years, the national aquatic product market has operated smoothly overall, with ample supply guaranteed.”
Looking ahead, the authorities will continue to guide the development of aquaculture along the Yangtze River, said Zhang.
“We will guide various regions along the Yangtze River to create distinctive industrial development systems, clarify differentiated management objectives for different types of lakes and reservoirs in the non-fishing-prohibited waters of the Yangtze River Basin. Without affecting the overall ten-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River, we will develop aquaculture and processing industries according to local conditions, and continuously promote the green transformation and upgrading of related industries.”
