This aerial photo taken on July 24, 2023 shows a fishing port in Qidong, east China's Jiangsu Province. Chongming District and Pudong District of Shanghai, along with Qidong City of Jiangsu, are located in the estuary of Yangtze River. With its unique advantages, the region has been making concerted effort to further promote high-quality development.(Photo: Xinhua)

Aiming at increasing the proliferation of fish in the Yangtze River for this autumn season, more than 850,000 rare fish were recently released from the Yangtze River Park in Yibin, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, and the Baihetan reservoir area in Yunnan Province's Zhaotong city, which is known for its hydropower project. 

 Among the 850,000 fish, nine species are endemic to the Yangtze River. 

These fish species include the Yangtze Sturgeon, China's first-class state protected animal; the Chinese high-fin banded shark, also known as the Myxocyprinus asiaticus; Rhinogobio ventralis, a type of cyprinid fish; and the Coreius guichenoti, a major type of Yangtze River economic fish. Rhinogobio ventralis and Coreius guichenoti are also listed as the country's second-class state protected animal species. 

Zhao Aimin, a Chengdu-based ecology expert, told the Global Times that these fish were released not only to increase the particular area's fish population, but also to "improve the structure of the Yangtze River's biological populations." 

"The event's goal is to help the Yangtze River maintain its aquatic biodiversity," Zhao remarked, adding that the autumn season is also the "best time" for such a release since the temperature is conducive to the survival of the fish. 

Including the latest released batch, approximately 768,000 Yangtze Sturgeons and Rhinogobio ventralis have been returned "home" in 2023.

The current releasing project was supported by organizations such as the Yibin government, the Fishery Supervision and Administration Office of the Yangtze River Basin of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and also the Three Gorges Corporation. 

Besides these organizational efforts, "fish releases" aimed at safeguarding the Yangtze River's biodiversity have already been embedded in the Chinese public's awareness through agendas such as National Fish Day, which falls on June 6 every year. 

Supervised by ecological experts, public fish releases were held during the 2023 National Fish Day in cities across the country such as Shanghai, Chongqing, and Wuhan in Central China's Hubei Province. A total of 220,000 fish, including species such as the Chinese Sturgeon and Yangtze Sturgeon, were released by people from different walks of life ranging from school children to retirees. 

"We rely on the water and fish resources of the Yangtze River. Fish releases call for everybody to protect the co-existence of humans and nature," said Wei Qiwei, president of the Wuhan Yangtze River Chinese Sturgeon Protection Center. 

In 2021, China's Yangtze River Protection Law debuted, setting a benchmark for all-round Yangtze River conservation. Besides water conservation, more than 266 green factories and 28 green industrial parks have been established along the Yangtze River since 2021. 

This has fulfilled the double goals of protecting the river while reviving its economic power to facilitate the sustainable development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.