Highlighting endangered aquatic wildlife of Yangtze River
Aquatic wildlife expert Zhuang Ping meets students.
An exhibition about endangered aquatic wildlife in the Yangtze River is being featured at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.
It is the first lesson from a youth science project launched by the museum to promote knowledge about aquatic wildlife and raise teenagers' awareness of aquatic wildlife protection.
Zhuang Ping, former director of the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Science, said that only 48 aquatic wildlife had been given protected status in China back in 1989, while the number soared to 302 in 2021.
It implies an increasing number of endangered species. And of them, nearly 50 have relation with waters in Shanghai, he said.
Take the Chinese sturgeon as example. It is one of the largest fresh water fishes which can weigh up to 500 kilograms, and also one of the oldest. Its fossils have been dated back as far as 145 million years.
However, in recent years, they have been found to fail to lay eggs during their reproductive period in the wildlife, which poses a big threat to its wild population. So, authorities have taken measures to ensure the species survives, such as the establishment of a "kindergarten" for young Chinese sturgeons in Shanghai.
The project will also include science fairs, field researches and other activities.
