CTG releases 257,000 rare fish into upper reaches of the Jinsha River

CTG released 257,000 rare and endemic fish into the upper reaches of the Jinsha River in Yibin City, Sichuan Province, on October 24, continuing its ecological initiatives to improve the local ecosystem.

The release, which includes 40,000 large second-generation Yangtze sturgeons, was the 26th release event since the first batch of rare and endemic fish was released into the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in 2018.

The Yangtze sturgeon has been rated as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In response, CTG began to explore captive-breeding technology of Yangtze sturgeon in 2011. The company has achieved breakthroughs in technology that has enabled it to successfully hatch 50,000 Yangtze sturgeon fries in 2019, making it possible to conduct large-scale releases.

 “We will use sonar technology to mark the 35 Yangtze sturgeon bred in 2019, release and track them in the Yibing-Chongqing section of the Yangtze River, monitoring their migration patterns,” said Dr. Jiang Wei of the Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute, a CTG affiliate. “Meanwhile, powered by the DNA technology, we will further determine the distribution of Yangtze sturgeons, laying the foundation for assessing their habitat and conducting habitat restoration.”