China’s 10-year Yangtze fishing ban shows early recovery signs, with 8 fish species growing larger and 10 maturing more often

China’s ambitious decade-long ban on commercial fishing in the Yangtze River is reportedly showing encouraging early signs of ecological recovery. According to a 2026 study published in Acta Hydrobiologica Sinica, researchers examining long-term fish-monitoring data found that eight fish species exhibited significant increases in body size; meanwhile, 10 species showed a higher proportion of sexually mature individuals after the implementation of the 10-year ban on commercial fishing in 2021.

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