[Explanation] It's the end of the year, and I walked into the Changjiang Poyang Lake Aquatic Biological Protection Base in Hukou County, Jiangxi Province, which is located on the shore of Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China. Various rare fish such as Chinese sturgeon and giant salamander are swimming happily in the tank. Carry out relevant finishing work and make final preparations for the official opening to the outside world on New Year's Day in 2023.
The Yangtze River Poyang Lake Aquatic Biological Protection Base project has a total investment of 250 million yuan, and construction will start in 2020. It is a comprehensive base integrating science popularization and education, aquatic biological protection and rescue, and fish germplasm resource protection research and development.
[Same period] Ma Guang, head of the expert team of the Yangtze River Poyang Lake Aquatic Biological Protection Base
The original intention of our establishment (the base) is to protect, breed, reserve seed resources and popularize science for the endangered aquatic organisms in the Yangtze River Basin.
At present, 10 types of protected species have been introduced, mainly including sturgeon, mullet, giant salamander, naked carp, etc., and display them to let (the public) understand their importance and awaken their awareness of protection.
[Explanation] Hukou County is named after the mouth of Poyang Lake into the Yangtze River. In recent years, the local area has given full play to its unique geographical location advantages to build regional freshwater fish germplasm resource protection bases in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, finless porpoise ex situ protection bases, etc. , to build a national aquatic biodiversity ecological demonstration area.
On the second floor of the base, a 300-square-meter fish rescue center has been built, which is mainly dedicated to the breeding, conservation and rescue of aquatic organisms in Poyang Lake in the Yangtze River. It has rescued catfish, Chinese sturgeon and other aquatic species in the Yangtze River.
According to Zhou Ding, head of the fish rescue center's breeding, their team has a total of 17 people, including professional veterinarians and divers, to ensure the normal operation of the rescue.
[Concurrent] Zhou Ding, Head of Fish Rescue Center, Poyang Lake Aquatic Biological Protection Base, Yangtze River
This is the most important pool in our museum called finless porpoise pool. Its main function is to rescue these found injured finless porpoises in the future. There is an isolation cabin over there, and its living area is here. It accommodates four to six finless porpoises. After the finless porpoise is cured here, it (them) will be returned to Poyang Lake.
[Explanation] It is understood that since May 2021, Hukou County and the Freshwater Fisheries Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences have deepened cooperation in the construction of the Poyang Lake National Scientific Observation and Experiment Station and the Yangtze River Poyang Lake Fish Breeding Center to jointly promote the Yangtze River Protection, research and rational utilization of aquatic biological resources in the basin.
Reported by Jiang Tao, Xu Huigang, Guo Ying, Jiangxi Hukou
Responsible editor: [Peng Dawei]