A rare animal thought to be extinct has suddenly "appeared" in the waters of the Three Gorges Reservoir area! In June 2024, an astonishing discovery was made before our eyes: five Yangtze sturgeons, from juvenile to adult, the whole family is here!
In the waters of the Tangxi River in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, someone found five Yangtze sturgeons here! The "giant panda in the water", which was once declared extinct in the wild, was unexpectedly "resurrected" in this water area that had been altered by the dam.
The news first broke in the media by @FirstSightNews. They posted a short video showing the fish swimming in the water, with the caption mentioning that the Yangtze sturgeon cover all stages of growth from juvenile to adult.
A team from Southwest University conducts routine biological monitoring of the Tangxi River in the Three Gorges Reservoir area. The team, led by Gao Xuan, used high-tech monitoring equipment to monitor the river for four days.
Unexpectedly, in these four days, they found five traces of Yangtze sturgeon in a row. The discovery was a huge surprise for researchers, as the Yangtze sturgeon has been considered extinct.
The Yangtze sturgeon, whose scientific name is Dab's sturgeon, is a sturgeon that lives in freshwater. They have a migratory habit, but do not migrate long distances. This fish is mainly distributed in the Yangtze River system, especially in the lower reaches of the Jinsha River, as well as in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and major tributaries. As a fish with a long history, the Yangtze sturgeon was once of high scientific and ecological value, and was known as a "living fossil in the water".
Due to past overfishing and environmental changes, the wild Yangtze sturgeon population has declined dramatically, and the population is facing a great threat to its survival. According to scientific research, the breeding of the Yangtze sturgeon in the wild has completely stopped since 2000. On July 21, 2022, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared the Yangtze sturgeon extinct in the wild in its updated report on the Global Red List of Threatened Species.
So when the news of the discovery of these five Yangtze sturgeons in the Tangxi River came out, not only the scientific research community, but also the general public were shocked by this "miracle". Does this mean that the Yangtze sturgeon is expected to recover its population in the wild?
Good news for local environmental protection efforts. The 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River has already yielded initial results. Although this policy has not been in place for a long time, there has been a significant increase in the number and size of fish in the Yangtze River. This time in three
The Yangtze sturgeon, from "extinction" to "reappearance", every step is full of hardships and challenges. Researchers need to continue to monitor the living conditions and living conditions of these Yangtze sturgeons, hoping to gradually discover their secrets and provide a basis for future conservation efforts. This discovery may be just the beginning, and whether we can see a real recovery of the Yangtze sturgeon population in the future will take time and more scientific support.