CHENGDU, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Over 1.12 million fry of eight rare fishes were released into the Jinsha River, the upper section of the Yangtze River in southwest China, on Tuesday.
With over 710,000 fry, Yangtze sturgeon accounts for a majority of the release in Yibin, southwest China's Sichuan Province. China Three Gorges Corporation provided 653,000 fry of Yangtze sturgeon.
Other fishes released into the river include Chinese sucker and rock carp.
The large-scale release of the Yangtze sturgeon marked another major achievement in rebuilding the natural population of the endangered species.
China Three Gorges Corporation seeks to release 1 million fry of Yangtze sturgeon annually in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) to help restore the species.
Yangtze sturgeon, also known as Dabry's sturgeon, has lost its natural ability to reproduce since 2000 due to overfishing and water pollution, among other factors. The International Union for Conservation of Nature declared the species extinct in the wild in July last year.
"By participating in the activity, I learned that Yangtze sturgeon is a Chinese endemic species under first-class national protection. Such a large-scale release is vital for its protection," said Chen Nan, a college student volunteer at the release site. "I hope I will have more opportunities to join in protecting rare fish species in the future."
