Annual summer sea fishing moratorium begins

Chinese authorities said they are taking a tough stance against illegal fishing by both domestic and foreign vessels in stretches of the nation's coastal waters, as the annual summer fishing moratorium got underway on Monday, lasting through mid-August in most areas.

The ban will be observed in parts of the north, east and south to conserve marine fish stocks, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on its website.

It describes the ban as the country's most influential marine fish conservation effort, and said that regions subject to the ban include the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the waters north of 12 degrees north in the South China Sea.