The 20-day fishing ban in the Wusuli River, imposed by the fishery department of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, came into effect on Sunday.

All Chinese fishing boats will be prohibited from entering the Sino-Russian river during the Oct. 1-Oct. 20 period, said sources with the frontier defence brigade of the Shuangyashan city public security department.

The brigade will manage all the local fishing boats during the ban period.

The number of the affected boats is not available.

China has imposed fishing ban on Chinese water areas in the Wusuli River since 1949 when New China was founded.

The 890-km Wusuli River is a major producer of salmon. October is the spawning season of the fish.

The ban is of significant importance in protecting fishery resources in the Wusuli River, according to Heilongjiang Provincial Fishery Department.
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(Xinhua News Agency October 2, 2006)