長江的生物完整指數達「無魚」等級，國家重點保護的中華匙吻鱘亦宣布滅絕後，政府決定禁漁十年。長江過去曾嘗試每年三個月禁漁，但每次解禁後資源都會在數天內被打撈盡。中華匙吻鱘早於1970年代因過分捕漁而急劇下降，再加上水壩工程及污染等破壞，於1993年已被定為功能性絕種，即沒足夠數量持續繁殖。2003年建三峽大壩後更導致牠們無發迴游產卵繁殖。

The bio-integrity index of the Yangtze River has reached the “no fish” level, and with the extinction of the Chinese paddlefish, commercial fishing is now banned for ten years. There was an annual fishing ban for three months every spring, but as soon as it ended, fishermen would empty the river in just a few days of time. the number of Chinese paddlefish started to decrease since 1970s because of overfishing; with other damages like dam constructions and pollution, they became functionally extinct in 1993, which means there were not enough fish to meaningfully reproduce. The situation has gone worse in 2003 when the Three Gorges Dam cut off their path to reach their only spawning ground upstream.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/the-chinese-paddlefish-one-of-worlds-largest-fish-has-gone-extinct.aspx

https://today.line.me/hk/pc/article/China+bans+fishing+in+depleted+Yangtze+River+for+10+years+to+protect+aquatic+life-3Wo5xy