The critically endangered Yangtze sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus) has successfully spawned and hatched naturally in the wild for the first time in over 25 years. This achievement comes just three years after the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared the species extinction in the wild in 2022, marking a potential turning point for its recovery.
This natural spawning occurred in the Chishui River, the only major first-order tributary of the upper Yangtze River without dams along its mainstream. This river is an important part of the National Nature Reserve for Rare and Endemic Fishes in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
Through ditch drainage and substrate modification, researchers created a natural spawning ground of about 8000 square meters in the waters of the Dayu Dam of Fuxing Town, Chishui, Guizhou Province. On April 3, they released 20 broodstock (10 males and 10 females) of the Yangtze sturgeon into the experimental waters.
In the evening of April 12, researchers found that the Yangtze sturgeon began to congregate in the diversion channel. The following morning, they collected the first eggs, and confirmed them as the fertilized eggs of the Yangtze sturgeon after cultivation. On April 16, newly hatched larvae were observed—the first wild-born generation of the species in decades.
The Yangtze sturgeon is mainly distributed in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River and its tributaries. Due to the impact of human activities, its natural population has suffered a catastrophic decline. The success of this experiment has provided important theoretical and technical support for the recovery of the natural population of the Yangtze Sturgeon.
The experiment was led by researchers from the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, under the guidance of the Yangtze River Basin Fisheries Supervision and Administration Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
The first fertilized eggs of the Yangtze sturgeon underwater. (Image by IHB)
The Chishui River, a major tributary of the Yangtze, has witnessed significant rises in its fish population since a ban on fishing was introduced more than four years ago. Monitoring data show that the number of endemic species in the tributary has risen from 32 to 37.
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