187 cases of illegal fishing cracked on Yangtze River
Shanghai market regulation officials make an inspection of seafood product.
Shanghai's market regulators have busted 187 cases contravening the 10-year ban on fishing in the Yangtze River since July last year, authorities said on Tuesday.
Fishing for productive purposes is banned in the aquatic life conservation areas of the Yangtze basin.
In total, 185,000 businesses have been inspected and 1.73 million inspections have been made on e-commerce platforms, according to the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation.
The crackdown particularly targets aquatic product trade markets, supermarkets and restaurants.
By monitoring online platforms, officials identified 219 clues linked to suspected offences. The monitoring of more than 11,000 advertisements led to 200 suspected illegal activities being uncovered.
The administration has ordered aquatic product processing companies and catering businesses to establish a strict checking and recording system for relevant products.
Undercover investigations have been done, and the administration said it would further enhance crackdown on the trade of relevant products via inspection, online monitoring, undercover investigation and tip-off.
The specific campaign by market watchdogs against illegal fishing will last for three years through June 2023.
