Abstract.The reservoir fishery of China is essentially a post‐1950 development. China has an estimated reservoir acreage of 2 × 106ha of which about 1.44 × 1O6ha is used for fisheries. The present reservoir fish production averages 214kg/ha/year and accounts for about 8‐9% of the total inland fish production, which is around 4.0 × 1O6mt. The total reservoir fish production and production per unit area in China have been steadily increasing since 1980.The Cwhinese reservoir fishery is essentially a stock and capture fishery. The reservoir management practices and aspects of the present fishery are discussed. Those practices which are not found in the rest of Asia are highl