Yichang, May 5 (Tang Dongjun Yezi) According to the news of the Three Gorges Group on May 31, the group will breed a total of 5,31 Yangtze sturgeon seedlings in 2023, which is also a new record set by the Three Gorges Group since April 80 to achieve full artificial breeding of Yangtze sturgeon.
Yangtze sturgeon first hatching larvae Mao Xiangchun photo
The 2023 Yangtze River sturgeon breeding work of the Yangtze River Biodiversity Research Center of Three Gorges Group was carried out in early April, and the Yangtze River rare fish breeding base Jinsha River Xiangjiaba Experimental Station, Yichang Experimental Station and Three Gorges Experimental Station were implemented simultaneously. In late April, the last fry of Yangtze sturgeon broke through at the Three Gorges Experimental Station.
Yangtze sturgeon fertilized egg Photo by Li Yang
Inside the Three Gorges Experimental Station, small tadpoles-like Yangtze River sturgeon fry drag their long tails and swim in the pond of the seedling flow cultivation workshop. Zhang Jianming, senior engineer of Yichang Experimental Station, a rare fish breeding base on the Yangtze River, said that after nearly two months of careful care by aquaculture personnel, the baby sturgeon has grown to 7 centimeters and weighs about 5 grams. The 50,6 fry from the Yangtze River sturgeon will be released into the Yangtze River on June 6, National Fish Release Day.
Yichang Experimental Station Seedling Seed Cultivation Workshop Photo by Huang Xin
Yangtze sturgeon, also known as sarabi and sturgeon, is mainly distributed in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and its major tributaries, is a unique national first-class key protected wild animal in China, listed as critically endangered protected species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and is also one of the flagship species of Yangtze River fish resources conservation. Both Yangtze sturgeon and Chinese sturgeon are rare fish unique to the Yangtze River Basin, known as "water treasure" and "living fossil in water", which have important scientific research value and ecological value.
Yichang experimental station Yangtze sturgeon incubation equipment Photo by Ye Zi
Since 2011, the Yangtze River Biodiversity Research Center of China Three Gorges Group has initiated the research on the full artificial breeding technology of Yangtze sturgeon, organized personnel to carry out key technical research, and established a technical system for the whole life cycle protection of Yangtze sturgeon. In April 2019, the full artificial breeding of Yangtze sturgeon was successful. Up to now, China Three Gorges Group has released Yangtze River sturgeon 4 times in Changjiang Park in Yibin, Sichuan Province, Xiangjiaba Douba Yaowa Wharf and other places, with a total of more than 27,52 sturgeon. (End)