On October 16, 2024, a significant release event for captive-bred Chinese sturgeon took place in the Xiba section of the Yangtze River’s natural reserve in Yichang, Hubei province. More than 50,000 rare and unique fish species, including the Chinese sturgeon, Yangtze sturgeon, and red fish, were released back into the river, descending in batches along four artificial “slides.”
The Chinese sturgeon and Yangtze sturgeon are classified as first-class protected wildlife, while the red fish is a second-class protected species, all native to the Yangtze River basin. Their survival directly reflects the health of the Yangtze ecosystem.
The section of the Yangtze River in Yichang stretches 237 kilometers and serves as a crucial spawning and habitat area for important protected species like the Chinese sturgeon and red fish. Representatives from various participating organizations and volunteers gathered at the site to carefully place the healthy sturgeons and red fish back into the river, contributing to the population of these rare aquatic species and promoting ecological restoration in the area.
According to the event’s organizers, a total of 1,200 Chinese sturgeons were released, each measuring over 50 centimeters. Additionally, the event saw the release of 1,000 Yangtze sturgeons, which were over 40 centimeters long, as well as 50,000 red fish each exceeding 4 centimeters.
“This release activity represents a heartfelt commitment to protecting rare aquatic life like the Chinese sturgeon,” said Lin Feng, the director of the Chinese Sturgeon Natural Reserve in Yichang. “We hope that such initiatives will raise awareness and garner more support for the protection of the Yangtze River’s ecosystem.”
Yichang, home to the Three Gorges Project and the Gezhouba Project, is also an essential ecological barrier within the Yangtze River basin. Since the inception of release activities in 1984, Yichang has contributed over 3.6 million Chinese sturgeons, more than 1.1 million red fish, and over 100,000 Yangtze sturgeons back into the river, along with over 100 million economically significant fish fry.
