Acipenser sinensis
Acipenser sinensis Gray
(mandarin fish, preserved fruit)
The bone plate of the head and back is smooth. The anterior bony plate of dorsal fin is generally12 ~14. The skin between the larval bone plates is smooth, and the adult is rough. The skin of the head is covered with a plum blossom-shaped sensory organ-trap. Gill harrow14 ~ 28.
It is a migratory fish, inhabiting large rivers and offshore bottom. In autumn, it can be traced back to the upper reaches of the river, where the water is fast and the bottom is gravel. The spawning period is from1early October to1/early October, and the eggs are sticky. Generally, the mature male fish weighs more than 80 Jin, and the female fish weighs more than 240 Jin. The parent sturgeon basically stops eating during the reproductive period. The young sturgeon mainly eats all kinds of benthos, and the adult fish eats insect larvae, diatoms and humus.
As a fast-growing large-scale fish, Sichuan fishermen have a proverb that "a thousand pounds of wax is like ten thousand pounds", and wax refers to Chinese sturgeon. Fish eggs can be processed into caviar, which is a delicacy; The swim bladder and notochord can be used to make fish glue, which is distributed in coastal areas and major rivers south of the west coast of the Korean peninsula, with the Yangtze River producing more.
Acipenser sinensis is a magical fish bred in the Yangtze River and growing in the sea. It has lived on the earth for nearly 140 million years. It is one of the oldest vertebrates in existence and can be called a "living fossil in water". The Chinese sturgeon is huge and powerful. The adult fish can reach 5 meters in length and 1,000 kilograms in weight, and its life span is as long as 100 years, ranking first among the 27 kinds of sturgeons in the world. It is the largest and longest-lived fish among freshwater fishes.
The Chinese sturgeon Garden is located in the heart of the Huangbai River in Yiling District, Yichang City, and is named after displaying the Chinese sturgeon, a national first-class protected animal. The park is the first batch of AAA scenic spots in China. The scenic spot covers an area of 20,000 square meters, including sturgeon museum, herbarium, crocodile museum, tropical fish museum, aquarium gallery, exhibition hall and production and breeding workshop to be opened to the outside world. In the park, visitors can enjoy the Chinese sturgeon of various specifications, which enjoys the reputation of "giant panda in water", as well as more than ten kinds of sturgeons from all over the world, and they can also see Chinese alligators, bay crocodiles, mullet, various tropical fish and famous fish in the Yangtze River.
Acipenser sinensis has its own unique living habits. In other words, Chinese sturgeon is a typical migratory fish that can survive in both salt water and fresh water. Male Chinese sturgeon grows to be over 9 years old, with a body length of 1.7 meters and a weight of over 50 kilograms, while female Chinese sturgeon grows to be over 14 years old, with a body length of 2.3 meters and a weight of over 120 kilograms, and can have children after reaching the first sexual maturity. Every summer and autumn, flocks of Chinese sturgeons swim back to the Yangtze River from the shallow waters outside the Yangtze River estuary, and after more than 3,000 kilometers of upstream fighting, they return to their "hometown" Jinsha River to lay eggs and breed. After delivery, when the young fish grow up to about 15cm, these "wanderers" take their children downstream and live overseas. In this way, they were born in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River for generations, grew up in the sea, and formed the habit of living overseas without forgetting their hometown. It is precisely because of this persistent return and root-seeking habit that people call it "Chinese sturgeon".
Predation and food: prey on insect larvae, mollusks, oligochaetes and fish.
Chinese sturgeon was called Dalazi and Lazi in ancient times. According to zoological classification, it belongs to Fishes, Acipenseriformes, Acipenseridae and Acipenser. Chinese sturgeon is one of the oldest vertebrates in existence on the earth. The fossils of ancient sturgeon appeared in Mesozoic Cretaceous, about 140 million years ago.
Acipenser sinensis is the largest fish in fresh water and has a special physiological structure. It has no thorns all over its body, and its huge body is supported by only a few hard bones, a row of beautiful bone plates on its back, two rows of beautiful bone plates on its side and five rows of cartilaginous vertebrae on its abdomen. The Chinese sturgeon is powerful in shape and huge in size. The adult sturgeon can reach more than four meters long and weigh nearly one thousand kilograms, ranking first among 27 kinds of sturgeon in the world. It is known as the "king of sturgeon" and the "king of fish in the Yangtze River".
Acipenser sinensis is a typical migratory fish in Haihe River, and its living habits are unique. Every summer and autumn, Chinese sturgeons, who grow up in the sea, flock to the Yangtze River Estuary. It takes a whole year to climb more than 3,000 kilometers against the river and begin their wasteful and arduous journey of love and marriage. In the autumn of the following year, the Chinese sturgeon swam back to his homesick hometown, the fast-flowing Jinsha River, to lay eggs and breed offspring. Acipenser sinensis is listed as a national first-class key protection list by the Wildlife Protection Law. It is the oldest vertebrate on the earth, a descendant of the ancient spiny fish, the same ancestor of fish. It has a history of more than 140 million years and is known as a living fossil. It is the largest and longest-lived fish among freshwater fish. Adult Chinese sturgeon is more than four meters long, weighs more than one thousand kilograms, and has a life span of 100 years, ranking first among the 27 species of sturgeon in the world.
Acipenser sinensis is a large-scale warm and rare fish that swims back to the river. It mainly lives in the ocean all its life. It enters the Yangtze River during spawning migration and reaches the upper reaches of the Yangtze River for spawning and breeding thousands of kilometers. Its meat tastes delicious, and it has been regarded as a treasure in water since ancient times. Fish seed sauce is one of the three delicacies in the world and is known as black gold. "Compendium of Materia Medica" records: "Its liver is mainly used for treating boils and scabies, its meat is used for tonifying deficiency and benefiting qi, and it is drenched in blood. Its nose meat is used as a breast to replenish deficiency and lower qi, and its seeds are like adzuki beans, which are healthy and healthy, killing insects in the abdomen." Sturgeon and bone marrow have anti-cancer factors, known as "shark wings, sturgeon bones, which can prolong life." Nourishing yin and strengthening yang. China's royal family regarded it as a treasure.
Chinese sturgeon garden is a designated tourist unit in Hubei Province. There are places for visiting and shopping in the park, such as Sturgeon Pavilion, Herbarium Pavilion, Crocodile Pavilion and Aquarium Corridor. The Sturgeon Pavilion displays hundreds of millions of years-old paleontological fish kings in the Yangtze River-Chinese sturgeon, American paddlefish, Russian sturgeon, Amur sturgeon and hybrid sturgeon with the most growth advantages. The Crocodile Pavilion has the reptile alligator Chinese alligator and the large wild animal Crocodile Bay under national first-class protection; There are also national second-class protected aquatic animals giant salamander and mullet in the park; The exotic and colorful tropical fish inhabit and swim in the aquarium promenade. In addition, the "Three Gorges Fishing Village" allows you to taste the famous and excellent aquatic products of the Yangtze River. After several transformations, the Chinese sturgeon garden has been built into a comprehensive ornamental garden integrating environmental protection, popular science, education and interest.
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Protection status, protection significance and value utilization of ACIPENSER sinensis
foreword
Acipenser sinensis is the most primitive species of existing fish in the world. It lived in the same period as dinosaurs, and is known as the "giant panda in water" because of its preciousness. It has important scientific research value for paleontology, geology, bionics and other disciplines. But at present, the Chinese sturgeon is on the verge of extinction. Scientists are working hard to solve more unsolved mysteries of Chinese sturgeon, in order to obtain better protection for them and make full use of their commercial and economic value.
I. Overview of Acipenser sinensis
Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis Gray) belongs to fish, Actinidia, ACIPENSER, ACIPENSER, ACIPENSER and ACIPENSER. The body is spindle-shaped, the tip of the head is long, and there are four whiskers in front of the mouth. The mouth is located on the ventral side, which is flexible and can be stretched into a tube. The body is covered with five lines of large and hard bone scales, one line on the back and two lines on the body side and the ventral side. Sturgeon is a rare ancient fish left over from Mesozoic 150 million years ago. It is between cartilage and hard bone, and the degree of ossification of bones generally declines. The central axis is an ossified elastic notochord without a vertebral body, and most of the cartilaginous shells along the skull do not ossify. The caudal fin is crooked, the lateral fin has a broad base, and the dorsal fin is opposite to the gluteal fin. The ventral fin is located in front of the dorsal fin, with spiny scales at the base of the fin and caudal fin, spiral valves in the intestine, anus and drainage holes near the base of the ventral fin, and the opening of the fallopian tube is far away from the ovary.
Acipenser sinensis is a large individual with a long life span, and the longest life span can reach 40 years. But its sexual maturity is late. According to research, in spawning groups, males are generally 9 to 22 years old and weigh 40 to 125 kg; The female fish is 16 to 29 years old and weighs 172 to 300 kg. According to the literature, it weighs up to 560 kilograms, which is a huge fish. Because they are the largest fish in the Yangtze River, they are also called "the fish king of the Yangtze River". It is observed that the average annual growth rate of Chinese sturgeon is 5-8kg for male fish and 8-13kg for female fish. However, it takes 8 to 14 years from juvenile fish to large adult fish.
It is generally believed that Chinese sturgeon is a freshwater fish, and they are typical upstream migratory fish. They usually live in the sea for food and grow. Mature individuals enter the river from the sea in July and August, and their gonads gradually develop after living in fresh water for one year. By the following autumn, breeding groups gather in the spawning ground to breed. After laying eggs, female parent fish will soon start to descend into the river. The eggs are attached to the rocks or gravels at the bottom of the river, and the fertilized eggs hatch in about 5-6 days and nights under the condition of water temperature17-18℃. The newly hatched larvae have huge yolk sacs, which are like tadpoles and drift along the river, and begin to feed after about12-14 days. In the spring of the following year, young sturgeons gradually descended into the river, and appeared in Chongming Island in the Yangtze River estuary from May to August. After September, young sturgeons with a body length of 30cm gradually left the shallow tidal flat of the Yangtze River estuary and fattened and grew in the sea. Acipenser sinensis is a kind of benthic fish, which has a very narrow feeding habit and belongs to carnivorous fish. It mainly feeds on some small or slow-moving benthic animals, and mainly feeds on marine fish, followed by crustaceans and molluscs. The juvenile Chinese sturgeon in the estuary is mainly fed on benthic fishes, such as Ophiuchus, pupa, krill and viper, and generally stops feeding during spawning period.
According to research records, because the Chinese sturgeon is particularly valuable, foreigners also hope to migrate it to their own rivers to reproduce, but the Chinese sturgeon always loves their hometown. Even if some of them are migrated overseas, they have to travel thousands of miles to find their roots and migrate to their hometown rivers to have children. On the way to migration, they showed amazing hunger tolerance, hard work, ability to know the way and identify the direction, so people dubbed them the flashing word "China".
Second, the species and distribution of sturgeon
There are 4 genera and 24 species of ACIPENSER in the world, among which, there are 2 species of Herpetus, 7 species of ACIPENSER/kloc-0, 2 species of ACIPENSER and 3 species of ACIPENSER. There are 3 genera and 8 species of ACIPENSER fishes in China, among which: Heracle 1 species, ACIPENSER 6 species, and ACIPENSER 1 species.
Acipenseriformes belong to Actinopterygii in taxonomy, and it is also classified as Chondroslei because its endoskeleton is mostly cartilage and its body surface is covered with hard scales. Acipenser fish is the most primitive group of fish living on the earth now. Their fossils were first discovered in the Mesozoic Triassic strata (about 200 million years ago). Many species died out in the long river of the earth's evolution, and only a few remain today, mainly distributed in the northern part of the northern hemisphere. At present, there are 25 known species of * * * in the world, among which 8 species are distributed in China. Their fossils were also found in the Late Jurassic to Cretaceous strata in Liaoning and Hebei provinces of China.
Due to China's vast territory and rich ecological environment, the species and quantity of sturgeon-like fishes are rich and widely distributed. Their distribution records have been recorded from Heilongjiang and Irtysh River in the north to Pearl River in the south, as well as most coastal waters in China, but with the decrease of latitude, their species and quantity have decreased slightly.
According to 1834, the model origin of ACIPENSER sinensis is China. Although it is not a specialty of China, it is famous for its model origin in China. Later, it was speculated that it was Guangzhou according to the history of China at that time and the work of later generations. It is widely distributed in Dalian coast, Lushun, Liaodong Bay and Liaohe River of Bohai Sea in China. Sea island, Liaoning Province in the north of the Yellow River and Yalu River, the border river between China and North Korea; Shandong Shidao, Yellow River, Yangtze River, Qiantang River, Ningbo, Oujiang River, Minjiang River, Taiwan Province Jixiong and Pearl River systems. It can reach the lower reaches of Jinsha River in the Yangtze River; In the Pearl River system, it can be traced back to the Xijiang River, and the Beijiang River reaches Ruyuan, and even reaches Xunjiang, Yujiang and Liujiang in Guangxi. It is also produced along the coast of Hainan Province. Abroad, it is found in the mouth of Han River in Korea, Lijiang and the west side of Kyushu in Japan.
At present, ACIPENSER sinensis is mainly distributed in the main stream of the Yangtze River in China from below Jinsha River to the mouth of Bahai River, and other water systems such as Ganjiang River, Xiangjiang River, Minjiang River, Qiantang River and Pearl River occasionally appear.
Third, the protection status and significance of ACIPENSER sinensis
Acipenser sinensis is the oldest vertebrate on the earth, and it is the descendant of the ancient spiny fish, the same ancestor of fish, with a history of 140 million years. Acipenser sinensis occupies an extremely important position in classification and is an important reference for studying fish evolution. It has important scientific value and incalculable ecological, social and economic value in studying biological evolution, geology, geomorphology, transgression, regression and other earth changes. But for various reasons, this rare animal is on the verge of extinction. Protecting and saving this rare and endangered "living fossil" is of far-reaching significance to the development and rational development and utilization of wildlife resources and the maintenance of ecological balance. Some traces of biological evolution can be seen from it, so it is called a living fossil in aquatic life.
Acipenser sinensis is an anadromous migratory fish, which mainly lives in the ocean all its life. It enters the Yangtze River during spawning migration and reaches the upper reaches of the Yangtze River for spawning and reproduction thousands of kilometers upstream. Its biological characteristics determine that once the resources of Acipenser sinensis are destroyed, it will not be easy to recover. Water pollution caused by soil erosion, industrial wastewater, domestic wastewater and pesticide residues; Threats from shipping industry and serious overfishing; In particular, the closure of Gezhouba blocked the migration route, and the Three Gorges Project is located in the upper reaches of Gezhouba, so there is no longer the problem of blocking the migration route of Chinese sturgeon. However, the impoundment of the Three Gorges Project in 10 every year will reduce the discharge compared with the natural discharge, which may interfere with the perching and spawning activities of Chinese sturgeon in the downstream of Gezhouba Project. As a result, the number of Chinese sturgeon in the Yangtze River has dropped sharply, and the Chinese sturgeon has become an endangered species. Chinese sturgeon has a long history of more than 100 million years, and there are not many such ancient fish. If you don't take resolute protective measures. Within 50 years, the Chinese sturgeon will probably become extinct.
The sinister survival situation of ACIPENSER sinensis has attracted great attention from the China government and relevant departments. At present, the Chinese sturgeon in the Yangtze River has been listed as a national protected animal, and it has been listed as a Class I protected animal in China's List of National Key Protected Wild Animals. It is listed as a vulnerable species in the Red Book of Endangered Animals in China Fish. In order to protect the Chinese sturgeon resources, the relevant state departments have set up the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute and the Chinese Whale Research Institute of Gezhouba Group in Jingzhou and Yichang, Hubei Province, and have carried out a series of hard work. [6] At present, artificial insemination has succeeded in breeding young sturgeon, and the effect of proliferation and release is remarkable. In order to protect this precious animal, a number of synchronous measures are being taken.
Several problems that need to be solved urgently in the protection of Chinese sturgeon at present.
First, the number of Chinese sturgeons born and released after the interception of Gezhouba is very small.
Secondly, the scale and specifications of the release of Chinese sturgeon are too small at present, and the actual effect of the proliferation and release of Chinese sturgeon is not obvious.
Thirdly, once the Three Gorges Dam is cut off, the water level of the spawning ground under Gezhouba Dam will drop, which may pose a fatal threat to Chinese sturgeon.
In order to protect the treasures in fish and this living fossil, relevant parties are taking active rescue measures. Since the closure of the Gezhouba dam on the Yangtze River in 198 1, the Ministry of Agriculture has taken decisive measures to protect the Chinese sturgeon and strengthened supervision:
(1) The whole river is forbidden to catch and restrict fish for scientific research, and the management of Chinese sturgeon is brought into the legal track. The state has successively invested and supported Hubei Province and Sichuan Province to establish fishery stations along the Yangtze River, and helped fishermen to change their jobs. 1983 completely banned the fishing of Chinese sturgeon, and strictly restricted the fish for scientific research; 1988 "wildlife protection law" was promulgated, and Chinese sturgeon was included in the national first-class protection list. Strict implementation of the whole river fishing ban, thus protecting the migration of parent sturgeon and juvenile sturgeon and preserving the spawning population to the maximum extent.
(2) Carry out scientific research on Chinese sturgeon, and carry out artificial proliferation and release activities. 1983, the artificial breeding cooperative group of Chinese sturgeon, which was composed of Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Hubei Fisheries Bureau and Yichang Fisheries Research Institute, succeeded in artificial incubation of Chinese sturgeon under Gezhouba, and soon began to proliferate and release Chinese sturgeon seedlings to the Yangtze River. According to statistics, in 1983- 1998, nearly 6 million Chinese sturgeon seedlings of various specifications were released. 19991February 100000 10CM above the large-scale Chinese sturgeon fry, exceeding the total number of the same size sturgeon fry in 15 years.
(3) Extensive publicity and education activities were carried out, and all social forces were concentrated to protect Chinese sturgeon. With the concerted efforts of the people's governments at all levels along the Yangtze River, their fishery administrative departments and the broad masses of the people, the awareness of the whole society to protect Chinese sturgeon is increasing day by day. Fishermen along the Yangtze River can consciously release Chinese sturgeon after catching it by mistake, and they can report it if they find that criminals have stolen it. The behavior of managing and utilizing Chinese sturgeon in the market has disappeared.
In recent years, the research shows that due to the comprehensive protection of Chinese sturgeon, the decline of Chinese sturgeon resources has been delayed, the upstream spawning parents have been basically preserved, which has laid the foundation for the natural reproduction, research, proliferation and release of Chinese sturgeon, and the number of Chinese sturgeon species has begun to rise.
The Yangtze River has superior natural and geographical conditions. If we can increase investment and improve research and production facilities in the future, the development of sturgeon fishery in China will have broad prospects. The following are suggestions for further protection of Chinese sturgeon:
First, establish a national sturgeon reserve and strengthen management.
Second, the discharge scale should be large and the discharge specifications should be improved.
Third, make great efforts in scientific research and strive to achieve full artificial reproduction.
Fourth, the commercial and economic value and rational utilization of ACIPENSER sinensis
Acipenser sinensis has a series of primitive characteristics, showing that it is not only a group between cartilaginous fish (sharks, etc.) and bony fish, but also a primitive group among bony fish, which has important academic value in the evolution history of fish. Moreover, because of their large individuals, their meat and eggs have high nutritional value. The Compendium of Materia Medica records: "Its liver is mainly used for treating boils and scabies, and its meat is used for tonifying deficiency and benefiting qi." Sturgeon and bone marrow have anti-cancer factors, which are known as "shark wings and sturgeon bones, which can prolong life, nourish yin and strengthen yang". The value of Chinese sturgeon in aquatic products at home and abroad is also extremely high, and it has great economic significance. Leather can be tanned; The swim bladder, called "the belly of the herring", is rich in gum, which can be used to prepare fine paint and medicine. Meat tastes delicious; Spine and nasal bones are all excellent delicacies, known as "shark wings and sturgeon bones, which can prolong life, nourish yin and strengthen yang"; The bone plate formed by hard phosphorus on the body surface is the material for making handicrafts; Fish eggs are the most precious, and caviar made of sturgeon eggs is regarded as one of the three delicacies in the world because of its high fat content. It is also reported that the anti-cancer factor contained in Chinese sturgeon is 15 to 20 times that of shark, the main drug source at present. It can be said that the Chinese sturgeon is full of treasures, and it is indeed a rare and unique economic fish. It has been the most important fishery object in the distribution area since ancient times. Therefore, it will be of great significance to actively study and develop the aquaculture of Chinese sturgeon and rationally develop and utilize it on the basis of a large number of aquaculture.
It is precisely because of these advantages that the Chinese sturgeon has been destroyed by extensive fishing, which has led to serious damage to the Chinese sturgeon resources. In order to protect and save the Chinese sturgeon, the state has to take strict protective measures, especially prohibiting the killing and listing. But it is this that causes the contradiction between the protection and utilization of Chinese sturgeon.
In recent years, in order to save the endangered and rare wild animals in Guangdong Province, with the approval of relevant departments, Shunde, Nanhai, Sanshui and Dongguan have successively set up a number of Chinese sturgeon farms, such as the southern breeding base of Chinese sturgeon approved by the Ministry of Agriculture. The Chinese sturgeon has already had millions of people under people's careful breeding. It should be said that it has got rid of the situation of endangered species and entered the era of flourishing fish, and its breeding volume has reached more than 250 thousand, which quickly reversed the situation that Chinese sturgeon was on the verge of extinction in previous years. According to the report of Yangcheng Evening News on March 3, 2000, an artificial population of ACIPENSER sinensis has been formed in Guangdong, and at present, there are more than 200,000 juveniles weighing more than 5 kg. It's unreasonable to stick the label of "first-class protection" and let people taste plum to quench their thirst. Therefore, the voice that Chinese sturgeon should be allowed to go on the market is endless. However, the Chinese sturgeon has been banned from killing and circulating because it is a national first-class wild protected animal. Even if it is listed as an artificial breeding group, it must be in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. According to the relevant provisions of the Law on the Protection of Wild Animals, the first-class protected animals in China must be bred to the second generation before they can be used by the market. However, it takes more than 30 years for Chinese sturgeon to grow from fry to second generation. If it is in accordance with the law, its economic value will not be realized until more than 30 years later. The Chinese sturgeon that can't be sold for many years makes farmers feel the financial pressure. The breeding industry of Chinese sturgeon is rising because of the progress of science and technology, but it is blocked because of the lag of law. This is a helpless choice for everyone.
In fact, many species in the world have benefited mankind after coming out of the "desperate situation". Therefore, we don't have to worry about what burdens to carry and suffocate our minds, which makes the protection and breeding of Chinese sturgeon in a dilemma. As a management department, we should respect the facts, be sympathetic to the people's feelings, and carry out controlled development, which is of great benefit to both public and private. Sticking to conventions and unchanging views does not meet the requirements of formal development. Therefore, the relevant departments can modify the relevant regulations in a timely manner according to the current situation, relax the protection restrictions on wild animals such as Chinese sturgeon to a limited extent, and allow a small number of Chinese sturgeons to be listed and circulated, so as to make rational use of Chinese sturgeon resources and fully realize the value of Chinese sturgeon.