Beijing, Aug 2 (IANS): Authorities in China's Qinghai province have initiated a five-year fishing ban in parts of the Yellow River and its tributaries.

The ban, which came into effect on Sunday and will remain until July 31, 2026, covers the main stream of the Yellow River in Qinghai, two lakes and nine tributaries of the country's second-longest river, Xinhua news agency quoted provincial agriculture and rural affairs department as saying.

The ban aims to protect aquatic organisms in the Yellow River as excessive fishing threatens fishery resources.

Dubbed "the water tower of China", Qinghai is home to the 'Sanjiangyuan' (Three-River-Source) area, where the three major rivers of Yangtze, Yellow and the Lancang originated.

The Yellow River, which originates in Qinghai, also flows through the central-north part of the country, including the provinces of Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong.