What’s the difference between Chinese sturgeon and Yangtze sturgeon？ What is the ＂delivery room＂ of the Yangtze sturgeon？ Understand in one article
Drinking the same river, there are more than 400 species of fish in the Yangtze River basin, among which 96 species are under special protection, among which ACIPENSER sinensis and ACIPENSER Changjiang are the flagship and symbolic species. The ancients once wrote the poem "Eyes are like pearls and scales are like gold" to describe the oldest vertebrate sturgeon on earth. At present, the natural reproduction of Chinese sturgeon has not been monitored for 7 consecutive years, and the natural reproduction of Yangtze sturgeon has stopped since 2000. Since the total ban on fishing, the fish resources and biodiversity in the Yangtze River have recovered. Can the wild populations of iconic species such as ACIPENSER sinensis and ACIPENSER Changjiang be recovered? What’s the difference between these two kinds of fish?
The rare creatures of ACIPENSER sinensis and ACIPENSER Changjiang are different.
Although both were born in the Yangtze River, the Chinese sturgeon and the Yangtze sturgeon live in different areas. Acipenser Changjiang is a freshwater sedentary fish, distributed in the lower reaches of Jinsha River and the upper reaches of Yangtze River. Although it is a migratory fish, it does not migrate for a long distance. The Chinese sturgeon lives in the Yangtze River and offshore waters, and belongs to the long-distance migratory fish of Haihe River. During the breeding period, the mature Chinese sturgeon swam up the Yangtze River from July to August, trudged all the way from October to November of the following year, and reached the spawning ground in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River for breeding. After breeding and hatching, the young Chinese sturgeon will go down the Yangtze River along the migration route and enter the sea from April to May of the following year.
Physically, there are also differences between the two kinds of fish. The Yangtze sturgeon is smaller, and the adult Yangtze sturgeon is 1-1.5 meters long. The Chinese sturgeon is large, and the adult Chinese sturgeon can reach 4 meters in length.
Drinking the Yangtze River water together, Chinese sturgeon and Yangtze sturgeon have different personalities. The Yangtze sturgeon likes quietness and swims slowly. The Chinese sturgeon, on the other hand, is active and likes to stick to the walls and bottom and swim around.
Acipenser sinensis: a "living fossil" in aquatic life
Acipenser sinensis is a first-class protected wild animal in China, which is called "living fossil" in aquatic life. Historically, it was once regarded as a large migratory economic fish. In the early 1970s, the Yangtze River captured an average of more than 580 Chinese sturgeons every year. In 1983, China completely banned the commercial fishing and utilization of Chinese sturgeon, and since then, it has also carried out the work of proliferation and release, but it failed to stop the sharp decline of its population. Since 2017, only a dozen Chinese sturgeons have been monitored in the Yangtze River every year.
Yangtze sturgeon: Natural breeding in the wild stopped more than 20 years ago.
The Yangtze sturgeon, a national first-class protected animal, stopped its natural reproduction in the wild around 2000. In July 2022, the World Conservation Union declared the Yangtze sturgeon extinct in the wild.
At present, China is constantly strengthening the artificial breeding, proliferation and release of Chinese sturgeon and Yangtze sturgeon.
Can ACIPENSER Changjiang naturally spawn and reproduce in the spawning ground?
Jiang ‘an section of Yibin in the Yangtze River has always been the traditional habitat and spawning ground of Acipenser Changjiang. The transformation of artificial natural water spawning grounds has been carried out here, and in 2024, new experiments began again. Recently, the Yangtze sturgeon, which was released artificially for the first time in China, naturally laid eggs and propagated in the reconstructed spawning ground, which provided important theoretical and technical support for the restoration of its original habitat.
In 2023, researchers put 20 adult Yangtze sturgeons into artificial ovaries in Jiang ‘an section of Yibin, the Yangtze River, to guide them to lay eggs and mate and fertilize.
This year, instead of artificial ovarian production, researchers planned a natural water experimental field and built an artificial spawning field by using fishing nets to encircle it.
On March 22nd, researchers introduced 62 artificially bred offspring Yangtze sturgeon. After nearly a week, no breeding behavior was found.
The researchers adjusted the plan and rebuilt the spawning ground with pebbles. Due to the rising water temperature, the water in the main stream of the Yangtze River was continuously introduced by using a water pump to cool the test site.
On March 31st, researchers finally observed the reproductive behaviors of ACIPENSER Changjiang, such as free gathering, chasing, tail wagging and jumping.
On the morning of April 6, the underwater camera also successfully recorded the natural reproduction behavior of the Yangtze sturgeon.
The reporter visited the artificial spawning ground of Yangtze sturgeon underwater.
The reporter from Headquarters visited the artificial spawning ground of Yangtze sturgeon underwater.
Desk reporter Baifine jade：I can see that this stone is very smooth. This is our artificial delivery bed. Because there are a lot of algae in the stones in the natural river, it is not conducive to the attachment of fish eggs, so this is why we need to transform the spawning bed. There are iron wires under it and stones on it. This is really like a delivery bed for fish parents. There is a Yangtze sturgeon in front of us, which is very close to us. In fact, we are floating above it.
Two generations share a responsibility.
Guarding the light of artificial reproduction life
In fact, today’s artificial reproduction also benefits from the protection of more than a dozen wild Yangtze sturgeons by researchers. There are 19 parents of wild Yangtze sturgeon with artificial conservation in China, 18 of which are in Yibin Institute of Rare Aquatic Animals, Sichuan. At present, most of the artificial breeding of Yangtze sturgeon in China are descendants of these 18 Yangtze sturgeons. Liang Zhou has taken care of these wild Yangtze sturgeons for nearly 30 years.
In 1993, Liang Zhou, who just graduated from university, helped his father to establish Yibin Institute of Rare Aquatic Animals. The father and son bought the injured Yangtze sturgeon from fishermen and protected it in the farm. Yibin is located at the junction of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, where Jinsha River, Minjiang River and Yangtze River meet. It is the breeding habitat of many rare fish such as Chinese sturgeon and Yangtze sturgeon in history.
At most, the Institute rescued more than 70 wild Yangtze sturgeons, and bred 50 juvenile Chinese sturgeons, as well as hundreds of rare and endemic fish in the Yangtze River, such as mullet. The more fish are raised, the higher the cost. At the most difficult time, only the father and son are left in the institute. They came up with the idea of artificial breeding.
In 1998, the father and son successfully bred hundreds of Yangtze sturgeon fry for the first time.
Since 2007, Yibin has carried out the proliferation and release activities of the Yangtze sturgeon. Up to now, the Institute has provided more than 500,000 Yangtze sturgeons for release.
In 2016, when Zhou Shiwu died of illness, Liang Zhou took over the baton and cooperated with many units to carry out the pilot project of population reconstruction of the Yangtze sturgeon. The parents used in the experiment were the offspring bred by him and his father.
Liang Zhou, Director of Yibin Institute of Rare Aquatic Animals:They are the masters of the Yangtze River. Without these species, there would be no rich diversity of this creature. We can do our part for this matter. I think I didn’t go for nothing when I came to this world.