Fishing moratorium on China's biggest freshwater lake

China's biggest freshwater lake, Poyang Lake in east China's Jiangxi province, will enter its three-month fishing moratorium at midday on Tuesday, a move designed to protect fishing resources during the egg-laying season, local authorities announced Tuesday.

All fishing activities and other actions that may threaten fish and the lake environment will be banned during the moratorium, said officials with the provincial fishery administration.

Spring is when the lake's sedentary fish, such as carp, lay eggs, so imposing fishing bans in the period is an effective way to ensure sustainable development of the local fishery industry.

The moratorium was first introduced on parts of Poyang Lake in 1987, when the water body's fishing resources dwindled due to pollution and over-fishing. Since 2002, a lake-wide ban has been initiated.