CTG releases 166,900 rare fish into Chishui River

China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) held a breeding and release activity in a state-level nature reserve for rare and endemic fish species in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River on September 10, releasing a total of 166,900 largemouth bronze gudgeons over 5cm long into the Chishui River in Guizhou Province.

In order to carry out follow-up scientific research, such as result evaluation, the technicians marked the released 30,000 bronze gudgeons with coded wire tags (CWT) and visible implant elastomer (VIE) tags, and established molecular markers for them and a gene pool for broodstock.

Largemouth bronze gudgeon (coreius guichenoti) is an important and unique species of commercial fish in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and its artificial breeding is extremely challenging. In a bid to restore the wildlife populations of them as soon as possible, CTG has been funding domestic prestigious scientific research institutions on the protection of wildlife populations of these fish and captive breeding technology since 2006.

Since 2014, scientific research organizations like Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute and Yichang Sanjiang Fishery Co., Ltd. have overcome some technical bottlenecks, elevating the survival rate of artificially domesticated broodstock above 85%. In 2020, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, in partnership with Yichang Sanjiang Fishery Co., Ltd., bred more than 150,000 fish fry through mature captive breeding technology, providing a technical basis for large-scale breeding and releasing of bronze gudgeon.

Organized by CTG, relevant units released a total of than100,000 bronze gudgeon in a large-scale breeding and releasing activity held in the Yangtze River section of Jiangjin District, Chongqing, in September 2020. It marked a milestone in technical research on captive breeding of bronze gudgeon, which are quite meaningful for driving the restoration of the natural population of bronze gudgeon and conducting follow-up preservation work. In 2021, the number of released bronze gudgeon reached 166,900, a new record-high.

According to Yang Deguo, a second-class researcher at Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chishui River is a national nature reserve for rare and unique fish in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River that features a complex habitat and rich biodiversity resources across its span. The release in the river is very helpful for improving the survival rate of released fry and restoring their natural reproductivity. In 2021, bronze gudgeon was listed as an animal with second-class protection in China, and at the same time, a 10-year fishing ban was imposed on Yangtze River. CTG continues to optimize and improve its efforts on breeding and releasing, promoting the overall restoration of the aquatic ecosystem in the Yangtze River.