Seasonal fishing bans on the Pearl River, and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, took effect on Monday, in an effort to boost falling fish stocks and protect local ecosystems.

The ban on the Pearl River, China's third-longest, covers some 5,365 kilometers including its tributaries and more than 1,300 square km of lakes.

It stretches into Guangdong, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and affects some 114,000 fishermen.