Released Chinese sturgeon travels 1,600 kilometers in 19 days
2026-04-22 19:04:51
By Chen Zai
One of nearly 50,000 second‑ and third‑generation Chinese sturgeon released in Yichang on March 28 traveled about 1,600 kilometers in 19 days to reach estuarine waters.
One of nearly 50,000 second‑ and third‑generation Chinese sturgeon released in Yichang on March 28 traveled about 1,600 kilometers in 19 days to reach estuarine waters.
Acoustic signals of released Chinese sturgeon detected at the Jiangyin station in Jiangsu Province.
Researchers in Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province, detected the sonar signal of a Chinese sturgeon coded No. 359 at 12:02 am on April 16, marking the completion of this important journey.
On March 28, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs organized release events in Jingzhou and Yichang in Hubei Province, as well as in Chongming, Shanghai, releasing about 550,000 Chinese sturgeon into the Yangtze River.
On March 28, China’s Chinese Sturgeon Conservation Day, Yichang held a release event, sending 49,076 Chinese sturgeon into the Yangtze River.
Researchers had implanted acoustic tags in some of the fish in advance to track their adaptation and migration patterns.
The Chinese sturgeon is a top‑level protected species and a flagship species of the Yangtze River. Release efforts, organized since 1984, are a key conservation measure to restore natural reproduction and rebuild wild populations.
