WUHAN, March 28 (Xinhua) — More than 23,000 artificially-bred Chinese sturgeon were released into the Yangtze River on Tuesday to help restore the species\’ wild population.
The fish were released in the cities of Jingzhou and Yichang, central China\’s Hubei Province, by the China Wildlife Conservation Association and other research institutions. Among the fish, 28 are more than 1.5 meters in length.
Nicknamed \”aquatic pandas,\” Chinese sturgeon have existed for over 140 million years. However, the population of the species in the Yangtze plummeted in the late 20th century due to intrusive human activities.
For ecological conservation and green development, a 10-year fishing ban took effect in pivotal waters of the Yangtze on Jan. 1, 2021.