4.6kg Strange Fish Washed Ashore in Hangzhou Bay Tidal Flat – It Was a Wild Chinese Sturgeon
Correspondent Huang Bin, Reporter Weng Yunqian
At 3:11 PM on March 8th, staff members of the Zhejiang Ningbo Hangzhou Bay Ocean and Water Affairs Management Center jointly 'delivered' a 'distinguished guest' – the Chinese Sturgeon, a national Grade One key protected animal.
This 'valuable guest' visited the Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Bridge East Side Tidal Flat, and was first discovered by Mr. Shen, a villager from An Dong Town. Early this morning, Mr. Shen went to the tidal flat to 'catch small sea', and found a fish stranded on the shore. 'It's not small, it keeps bouncing, but it looks a little strange.' There was an early harvest, Mr. Shen excitedly brought this 'strange fish' home to show his family. 'The head is in a long triangular shape, with 4 whiskers in front of its mouth, and a 'cable reel' thing on its back.' Mr. Shen's son suspected that his father had picked up a Chinese sturgeon, and the father and son immediately called the '110' police.
The district's '110' command center immediately contacted the Ocean and Water Affairs Management Center, and staff members quickly rushed to the scene. After identification, it was confirmed to be a Chinese sturgeon. The Chinese sturgeon weighed 4.6 kilograms and was about 1 meter long. Apart from slight abrasions on its surface, other vital signs were normal. The staff subsequently treated the sturgeon's surface with a simple wound treatment and designated a person to transport the sturgeon to the sea for release at high tide.
The Chinese sturgeon is a national Grade One key protected wild animal, often called 'the water panda', mainly distributed in the Chinese Yangtze River mainstream below the Jinsha River to the Yangtze River estuary, and occasionally appears in other waterways such as the Gan River and the Qiantang River.
'This is the first time this species has been found in our district, it is possible that the Chinese sturgeon came to Hangzhou Bay during its migration and stranded on the tidal flats of the district due to the ebb tide.' A relevant person in charge of the Ocean and Water Affairs Management Center said, 'Although this 'guest' 'travelled long distances' to come, for its safety's sake, it was arranged to be delivered back to 'home' as soon as possible.'
'Prompt reporting after discovery indicates that the public's awareness of protection of wild animals is constantly increasing.' The person in charge said, 'As it is the third month, which is the Wild Animal Protection Publicity Month, the district will carry out further in-depth publicity in the coming steps, enhance the atmosphere and awareness of the whole society to protect wild animals, so that humans and wild animals can coexist harmoniously.' (Source: Zhejiang News)
