Researcher committed to conservation of Yangtze sturgeon in SW China's Yibin

This file photo shows Zhou Liang (L, bottom) takes roes from a Yangtze sturgeon. Zhou Liang, 51, is the director of Yibin Institute of Rare Aquatic Animals. He started to study with his father the subject of artificial breeding of rare fish since 1993.

Since the successful artificial propagation of parent fish of Yangtze sturgeon bred in the institute in 1998, the whole artificial propagation of the rare fish and the production of three generations of fry have been realized one after another.

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.

In March this year, a field breeding experiment is conducted in an inner river course of a section of the Yangtze River in Yibin. During the experiment, 10 male and 10 female mature parent fish of Yangtze sturgeon are released and eventually 8 female fish spawned more than 500,000 roes.

"Since 2007, we have been breeding and releasing Yangtze sturgeon fry in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River every year, and nearly 500,000 fry have been released so far," said Zhou, "Although this year's experiment is just a small breakthrough, it has great significance to us, indicating that the way we chose is right, and if we keep working, we will success one day."

This aerial photo taken on Oct. 12, 2021 shows the Fuxing breeding base founded by Zhou Liang and his father in Yibin, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

This aerial photo taken on June 27, 2023 shows a breeding base jointly operated by Yibin Institute of Rare Aquatic Animals and Fisheries Institute of Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Yibin, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Zhou Liang displays a Yangtze sturgeon at a breeding base jointly operated by Yibin Institute of Rare Aquatic Animals and Fisheries Institute of Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Yibin, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 27, 2023.