The first annual fishing ban began on China's Yellow River on Sunday, in an effort to protect fishery resources and biodiversity in the second longest river in the country.

The ban, which will be effective until June 30, covers the main stream, three major lakes, and 13 tributaries of the Yellow River, according to a previous statement from the Ministry of Agriculture.

In Binzhou in east China's Shandong Province, the local fisheries regulator has taken measures to ensure that the ban is strictly implemented.

Fishing boats sail from the Yazhou Central Fishing Port in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, Aug. 16, 2017. The fishing season of the South China Sea started on Wednesday after this summer's fishing ban. 

HAIKOU, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- With a marine police guard, around 100 fishing vessels set out from south China's Hainan Province Wednesday noon, marking the end of fishing ban in the South China Sea this summer.