THE Chinese government appears to have suddenly woken up to the importance of protecting its ocean resources. An unprecedented official order has been issued, banning fishing in a 37 sq km area off its east coast for 2 months to give its depleted fish stocks a chance to recover, reports the China Daily.

The ban will only apply to Chinese fishing boats, although the demarcated area is also shared by South Korea and Japan. But since the Chinese reportedly net 80 per cent of the catch, the ban order will contribute in large measure to reversing the piscicide.