BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) --  A report on the enforcement of China's fisheries law called for more efforts to conserve resources, restore productivity in fishery waters, and promote the sustainable use of fishery resources.

File photo by fotomore.com

The report was submitted to the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee for deliberation on Tuesday at its ongoing bimonthly session which runs from Dec. 23 to 28.

The number of both commercial fish species in the Bohai Sea and traditional high-quality and dominant fish species in the Yangtze River estuary have gradually decreased, according to the report.

The report recommended strictly controlling the number and power of fishing boats, effectively implementing the fishing ban in key areas of the Yangtze River basin, and actively reducing the scale of offshore fishing.

During September and October, the NPC Standing Committee dispatched inspectors to eight provincial-level areas including Tianjin, Liaoning, Shanghai and Zhejiang to delve into deep-rooted problems hindering the enforcement of the fisheries law. They also entrusted local legislatures in seven other provincial-level areas with law enforcement inspection.

The inspection was the first of its kind since China implemented the fisheries law in 1986.