Compensation asked for illegal fishing in Yangtze

Six men who had already received suspended prison sentences for illegal fishing of rare species appeared in a Shanghai court on Tuesday－World Oceans Day－to face public interest civil litigation for their wrongdoing.

It was the first civil litigation case regarding public interest in the field of environmental protection heard by the Shanghai Maritime Court since China's Yangtze River Protection Law came into force in March.

Prosecutors from the No 3 Branch of the Shanghai People's Procuratorate asked the court to order monetary compensation for environmental damage totaling 810,000 yuan ($126,700) and demanded the men make public apologies.