People fish along the bank of the Yellow River as the Sammenxia Dam discharges flood waters downstream, in Pinglu, Shanxi province, July 9, 2015. REUTERS/China Daily

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will ban fishing in the Yellow River, or Huanghe, between April 1 and June 30 every year starting from 2018, state-owned media Xinhua reported on Monday, citing a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture.

The ban aims to protect aquatic organisms in the Yellow River as excessive fishing threatens fishery resources, and will be effective in the main stream, 13 tributaries and three major lakes linking to the Yellow River.

China has introduced annual fishing ban in the Yangtze River since 2002 and in the Pearl River, its No.3, since 2010.

The Yellow River is the second longest river in China after the Yangtze River. It originates from the Qinghai province in the northwest and flows through the central-north part of the country, including the provinces of Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong.

In recent years, some regions, such as Ningxia and Gansu, have introduced fishing bans in the Yellow River during certain periods. However, illegal fishing remains rampant due to a lack of collaborated regulatory enforcement across regions.

China is also considering imposing annual fishing ban in more rivers.