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the Chinese Paddlefish
Website
updated July 20, 2007
Some 2006 reports of spawning success and
fingerling releases of Chinese paddlefish into the
Yangzte are unfortunately about sturgeon and were translation
errors.
I asked if a
June 2007 report of a captured Chinese paddlefish was
correct.
I received this
reply on June 29, 2007
"Dear Dr.
Capachi,
This is a wrong
news. The fish is Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis), not Chinese
paddlefish at all!
Thanks for your paying
attention to Chinese paddlefish.
The Chinese news has been plagued with references to Chinese
paddlefish when they are actually referring to Sturgeon. There hasn't been
a specimen seen since 2003. I hope it isn't extinct. Jay
Capachi - July 20,
2007
Chinese
Paddlefish (Psephurus gladius), "The River Panda", "Chinese Swordfish"
possibly the largest freshwater fish, there are sketchy
reports of a fish over 23 feet in length captured in
past
Photo courtesy of Dr. Steven D. Mims,
Aquaculture Research Center Kentucky State
University
The last Chinese paddlefish
captured was in January 25, 2003 and it was released with a radio transmitter
into the Yangtze River.
The Chinese paddlefish and the American paddlefish have
cartilege skeletons as do sharks, rays and sturgeons. Their caviar is
quite valuable. The Chinese paddlefish has fabulous aquaculture
potential as does its American cousin, Polyodon spathula.
The
government scientist in charge of saving the Chinese paddlefish
from extinction is Qiwei Wei, Prof. ph.D Director, Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish
Germplasm Resources and Biotechnology Ministry of Agriculture of China. He was kind enough
to send me The story of the attempt to save the Chinese Paddlefish
today. He really cares and is not about to give up.
If mature eggs
from a single female could be collected (they make over a million eggs at
a time), either frozen sperm (which is available) or irradiated sturgeon sperm
can fertilize the eggs. That could substantially help the species to
survive. The first priority is to capture a female.