The decommissioned fishing boat to be housed in the Museum of Hydrobiological Sciences as a permanent collection. (Credit: IHB)

A decommissioned fishing boat will be housed in the Museum of Hydrobiological Sciences (MHS) as a permanent collection that witnesses the implementation of the 10-year Yangtze River fishing ban, effective from January 1.   

The boat, with a length of 10m, is a typical wooden fishing boat for fishermen to catch fishes in the Yangtze River.    

On behalf of Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. ZHANG Xianfeng, director of the MHS, received the name plaque and fishing license of the boat from the Jinkou Subdistrict Office, on December 17.    

The 10-year fishing moratorium was first proposed by IHB Prof. CAO Wenxuan, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 2006, to allow the aquatic life to recover in the Yangtze.    

Responding to the deterioration of the river, the central government officially introduced a complete 10-year fishing ban in all pivotal waters, natural waterways and major tributaries of the Yangtze, according to an announcement issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas.    

The fishing ban is an important measure to protect the river and improve the ecological environment.  

  
Prof. ZHANG Xianfeng, director of the MHS, receives the name plaque and fishing license of the boat from the Jinkou Subdistrict Office, Dec. 17, 2020. (Credit: IHB)