The Ministry of Agriculture launched a survey of fish resources in a nature reserve on the Yangtze River on Thursday.

 

This is the first time China has made such a large-scale survey of fish resources in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, China's longest river.

 

The Yangtze River nature reserve, which covers a 1162.6 km-long section of the river, has fish species and aquatic animals under state protection such as the Yangtze sturgeon, Chinese paddlefish, Chinese sucker, giant salamander and otters as well as 66 other special fish species.

 

The two-year survey will focus on hydrological conditions, the environmental status of the river and the economic and ecological status of the fish species, said a senior official with the Bureau of Fisheries, MOA.

 

Organized by the MOA and local nature reserve administrations of southwestern Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces and Chongqing Municipality, the survey will be jointly conducted by research institutes including the Chinese Academy of Fishery Science and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2006)