China has launched a special campaign concerning a targeted marine fishing ban in summer, aiming to mobilize law enforcement authorities in coastal regions to protect marine fishery resources, the China Coast Guard (CCG) said.

Illegal and criminal activities involving the fisheries industry will be targeted during this campaign, which was jointly launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the CCG, and the Ministry of Public Security.

Local authorities are required to regulate catches of special economic fishery varieties that are allowed to be caught, without affecting the summer fishing ban in general. Supervision of key targets involving high risks of illegal or criminal activities and of key areas will be intensified, according to the CCG.

China enforced a targeted summer fishing ban across its coastal seas on Wednesday. Nearly 120,000 fishing vessels and auxiliary vessels had returned to ports in accordance with the ban, the CCG confirmed.