230,000 Chinese sturgeon released into Yangtze River

WUHAN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 230,000 captive-bred Chinese sturgeon were released into the Yangtze River on Saturday to help restore the species' wild population.

The fish were released in the city of Yichang, central China's Hubei Province, in the 65th sturgeon release event carried out by the China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC). The number of sturgeon released hit a record high.

The fish range in maturity from six months to 13 years, said Jiang Wei, chief engineer of the Chinese sturgeon research institute under the CTGC.

Nicknamed "aquatic pandas," Chinese sturgeon have existed for more than 140 million years. However, the population of the species in the Yangtze plummeted in the late 20th century due to intrusive human activities.

CTGC has so far released nearly 5.3 million Chinese sturgeon into the Yangtze River.