China releases 85,000 sturgeons to restore rare species

China on Thursday released around 85,000 endangered sturgeon in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in a bid to help restore the wild population.

"Dabry's sturgeon, a class A protected fish in China that is also called the Yangtze sturgeon, had lost its natural ability to breed since 2000 due to dam constructions, overfishing and river traffic, thus the wild species was near extinction," said Yu Kangzhen, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

"The Yangtze sturgeon is an important indicator of the ecological health of the Yangtze River," Yu said.

Authorities released 50 adult sturgeon, 5,100 young sturgeon and 80,000 fry at a section of the Yangtze River in Yibin City, southwest China's Sichuan Province.
  [china.org.cn]
 18/5/18