Boat traffic, pollution and human development in the Yangze River are thought to have driven the Chinese sturgeon to the brink of extinction
Researchers in China have released 3,000 captive-bred Chinese sturgeons, a rare fish that dates back to the dinosaurs, into the country's longest river, the Yangtze, to save the species from extinction reports the Global Times.
Estimates by experts say that due to development in and around rivers, heavy boat traffic and water pollution, the number of wild Chinese sturgeons which migrate to Gezhouba, Hubei Province, to breed has fallen from about 1,000 in 1982 to about 50.
In this latest release, staff at the Chinese Sturgeons Research Institute transferred 500 fish born in 2011 and with a body length of 80cm, and 2,500 fish born in 2013, which had reached about 40cm in length from their holding pens to the river.
According to Gao Yong, the Deputy Head of the Research Instituted, they are also employing advanced methods to track the two age groups simultaneously to monitor their progress and see which group fares best.
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