Eugene Plawiuk (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} plawiuk) wrote,@ 2005-07-19 22:54:00 |
|
| Current mood: |  determined |
| Current music: | Red River |
SOS-Save Our Sturgeon
So I found this great
Icthyology site at the University of Florida that tracks news stories
on fish and sharks. I always did like that scientific name for the
study of fish: Ichthyology. As in "oooh Ick!". Any ways here are two
stories on our Ancient Dinosaur Fish, that is endangered, and a story
search engine you can use to track more about the Sturgeon. SOS! Here
is a LIVING DINOSAUR which is endangered and most folks go ho hum.
Perhaps if we emphasized that it is also probably the LOCH NESS MONSTER
and the OGOPOGO do ya think more people would pay attention. As in
Nessie and Ogo are Endangered.
Hmmm I'm thinking its a campaign. But again its an ugly fish not cute and cuddly like baby seals.
Chinese Sturgeon Forced To Change Diet
June 29, 2005
Release from: Shanghai Daily
BEIJING - The Chinese sturgeon, listed among the country's most
endangered species, has been forced to change its eating habits due to
the deterioration of water quality in the Yangtze River, researchers
said yesterday after completing a one-year study.
The Chinese sturgeon is an endangered species under the highest level of state protection. Having evolved over millions of years, it is regarded as a living fossil by some marine biologists.
Now scientists only know that as a migratory fish, Chinese sturgeons lay eggs in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The young sturgeon swim thousands of kilometers to reach the sea.
"We know very little about their movement in the mouth of the river due to lack of research, let alone their habits in the sea," said Liu Jian, deputy director of the administration of the Shanghai Yangtze Estuarine Preserve for Chinese Sturgeon.
As a result, fishery experts monitored a 276-square-kilometer preserve near Chongming Island and nearby waters to study the fish's habits and movement.
"The investigation found the main food for the Chinese sturgeon is now water earthworms," said Zhuang Ping, deputy director of the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute.
Two decades ago Chinese sturgeon could find abundant bottom dwellers such as clams to eat.
"Metal pollution in the Yangtze River decreased the number of bottom feeders, forcing the Chinese sturgeon to find another source of food," Zhuang said. "It's hard to tell whether the change is good or not. But it indicates at least the fish is trying to adapt to the environment."
In addition, the investigation also makes it clear that babies of the Chinese sturgeon gather at the mouth of the Yangtze River from May to August every year with a peak in June.
Based on this, the government enacted an administrative regulation for the preserve in April, banning any artificial activities in the preserve from May 1 to September 30 each year.
Anyone fishing in the preserve during the period will be given a maximum fine of 10,000 yuan (US$1,205).
China Invests Heavily To Protect Sturgeons
|
Release from: Beijing Time | |
|
China has earmarked 10.7 million yuan (1.3 million US dollars) to set up a rescue center for sturgeon, particularly rare species such as paddlefish and Chinese sturgeon, in the southwestern Sichuan province. The center, covering 12 hectares, will be located in Yibin cityin the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, China's longest river, say officials with the Yibin municipal government. It will serve as a major ecological base for scientific research, production and sightseeing upon completion in 2005, according to the local government officials. While the central and local coffers will both allocate funds toback the program, the local government has also raised some money,they say. The Yibin section of the Yangtze river is a haven for Chinese sturgeon and paddlefish to spawn in spring. Paddlefish and Chinese sturgeon are dubbed "living fossils" of the Yangtze River and are under top protection in China, just like giant pandas. Investigations show that 69 varieties of plankton and 48 other species of animals, which live at the bottom of the river, inhabit this section of the Yangtze River, but the number of fish has reduced drastically in recent years due to the deterioration of the environment. China has started to offset those negative impacts by artificial breeding and releasing fry of the rare aquatic species into the river. According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, China has released 6.3 million Chinese sturgeon fry in the Yangtze River from artificial breeding centers since 1983. In the three years from 1999 to 2002, the country released 300,000 sturgeon fry longer than 10 centimeters. China has also imposed fishing bans on the Yangtze River in the spring and summer seasons, prohibiting the commercial sales of wildlife in the river.
Meanwhile, the country built a nature reserve along the 400-kilometer
section of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in April, 2000 to
protect rare fish that inhabit the waters between Leibo and Hejiang
counties.
Search Results - Page 1 of 12Documents 1 to 10 of 119 matching the query Sturgeon:
|
