Scientific evaluation of the fishing ban’s efficacy could provide critical support for sustainable management and protection of natural waters. However, commonly used spatiotemporal evaluation methods were difficult to scientifically and comprehensively reflect the actual fishing ban’s efficacy. This paper focused on the Lower Qiantang River, a critical ecological corridor in Zhejiang Province of China, as the research object. Two representative time points, 2018 (pre-ban) and 2023 (5 years after the fishing ban), were selected to construct a three-level monitoring and evaluation index system containing eleven specific indicators from three aspects—ecological environment, economic output, and social consciousness. Then, a model based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was developed to systematically evaluate the fishing ban’s efficacy. Comparative analysis of nine key ecological, economic, and social indicators revealed significant improvements post-ban, reflecting continuously improved water quality, a certain degree of restoration of the aquatic ecosystem, and the continuous enhancement of the public’s awareness of ecological protection. Notably, the comprehensive assessment index rose from 0.88 to 1.16 (a 31.67% increase), underscoring the ban’s role in optimizing resource allocation and fostering sustainable fisheries management. The method and model adopted in this paper further improved the theoretical and methodological system for evaluating the fishing ban’s efficacy in various natural freshwaters.
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