Chongqing - Chongqing hosted a key on-site meeting in Jiangjin on July 7 to assess progress on the Yangtze River’s decade-long fishing ban and outline next steps. The city unveiled a new 2025–2027 Action Plan, highlighting efforts to phase out commercial fishing and restore aquatic biodiversity.

As one of the world’s most biodiverse rivers, the Yangtze is home to 424 fish species, including 183 species found nowhere else. Yet years of unregulated development, coupled with destructive fishing practices such as the use of electric shocks, have devastated its ecosystems. The river’s aquatic life integrity index once plummeted to the lowest rating. A 2018 survey of the Yangtze’s only remaining aquatic mammal, the finless porpoise, estimated a population of just 1,012, down sharply from 1,800 in 2006.

In response to this ecological crisis, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs launched the Yangtze River Ten-Year Fishing Ban in late 2019, prohibiting all commercial fishing in 332 key aquatic reserves starting January 1, 2020. The full implementation in 2021 led to the decommissioning of over 111,000 fishing vessels and the resettlement of 231,000 fishermen. In 2024, the State Council reaffirmed its commitment with a policy directive, and in 2025, Premier Li Qiang reiterated the Ban’s importance in the government’s annual work report, calling it a cornerstone biodiversity conservation project.

With most commercially valuable Yangtze fish maturing in three to four years, the decade-long moratorium offers a vital recovery window for two to three generations to reproduce. It also gives renewed hope to species such as the Yangtze sturgeon and the finless porpoise.

The new 2025–2027 municipal Action Plan outlines 26 key initiatives across seven core areas: supporting resettled fishermen, cracking down on illegal fishing, strengthening enforcement, building regulatory infrastructure, restoring aquatic ecosystems, promoting sustainable fisheries, and fostering public participation.

Since 2020, Chongqing has seen a marked decline in fishing-related crimes. A special three-year campaign launched by the municipal public security bureau has driven down criminal cases involving illegal aquatic harvesting from 1,395 in 2020 to 573 in 2024 — a 58.9% decrease, with rates along the Yangtze, Jialing, and Wu Rivers dropping from 53% to 9.7%.

The initial phase of the Ban is already paying off. The biological integrity index of the Chongqing section of the Yangtze has risen two levels from its lowest point, while rare endemic fish such as the Chinese sturgeon, redfin culter, and rock carp have reportedly been sighted more frequently. By June 2025, all 6,443 registered former fishermen in need of employment had been placed in jobs, and 10,315 eligible individuals were covered by social insurance.

For the next three years, Chongqing will intensify enforcement coordination and market supervision, targeting prohibited fishing gear, restricted river zones, and unregulated recreational angling. Ecological restoration will focus on rescuing endangered species, advancing artificial breeding programs, protecting key habitats, monitoring resources, and curbing invasive species. Measures will also be taken to enhance rescue and rehabilitation capabilities through partnerships with zoos, aquariums, and wildlife centers.

The action plan sets clear benchmarks: by the end of 2025, the municipality aims for a 100% employment rate among fishermen willing to work and full inclusion of those needing social support. Illegal fishing cases should decline by 5%, with a 100% case resolution rate, and the aquatic integrity index is expected to reach 58. By 2027, these figures should improve further, with the integrity index reaching 63, one full level higher than the current.