Changjiang Jun: In the context of the total ban on fishing in the Yangtze River, fishing in the Yangtze River is a sensitive topic. Especially considering that a variety of wild Fish and Aquariums of the Yangtze River such as Jiangtuan (Longnose Fish) and Water Rice (Yangtze River Copper Fish) have been "upgraded" to protected animals, even if they are fishing with one-line single hook in the Yangtze River, they may also cause big trouble because of catching protective fish species...
For example, when an angler in Wuhan, Hubei Province, was fishing in the Yangtze River recently, he caught a "large aquarium" that he had never seen before, which was not only amazing in size (more than one meter long), but also "strange", which surprised people...
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="4" > is this a fish? </h1>
According to The understanding of Yangtze River Jun, this "large aquarium" was caught by a young man in Wuhan while fishing on the Yangtze River.
Recently, the Yangtze River rises, the fish is good, from time to time some people catch a few pounds or even more than a dozen pounds of large grass carp, big carp, I believe this angler also wants to catch a big fish.
However, I did not expect that after a black drift, the fish would catch a "large aquarium" from the river for a long time, and many anglers in the vicinity would not recognize what kind of fish it was - and even uncertain whether it was a fish.
“..... This is what my friend caught today, the mouth is long, like a duck's mouth, flat, can't figure out whether this is a fish or something, I am shocked, the Yangtze River and this thing? ”
One of the anglers (@Wuhan HLT) posted online asking if this was a fish or what unknown creature?
Some netizens exclaimed after reading it, "It looks like a white sturgeon."
In fact, nowadays, large aquariums in the Yangtze River are rare, and "large creatures" like this smooth and scaleless appearance are either sturgeon or finless porpoises, so some netizens believe that this "large aquarium" is very similar to an extinct Yangtze River white sturgeon.
White Sturgeon Infographic
Are there still white sturgeon in the Yangtze River? Is this "strange fish" a white sturgeon?
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="31" > Changjiang jun: This is an "American sturgeon."</h1>
Yangtze River Jun science popularization link: In fact, the strange fish caught by this Wuhan guy from the Yangtze River is indeed a sturgeon, but it is not a native Chinese sturgeon and white sturgeon, but an invasive alien species "spoon-kissed sturgeon".
Spoon-sturgeon, also known as spoon-nosed white sturgeon, duck-billed sturgeon, is a genus of sturgeon, spoon-sturgeon family of fish species, but also the Mississippi River Basin in North America characteristic fish species, filter feeding, strong adaptability, rapid growth, high economic value.
According to the aquatic literature, in 1988, Hubei Province first introduced spoon sturgeon from the United States and successfully tried to raise them, and then gradually spread them in the northwest and southeast.
Spoon-sturgeon - infographic
How can there be such an odd-looking spoon-kissed sturgeon in the Yangtze River?
In fact, it is not the first time that spoon sturgeon has been found in the Yangtze River, and fishermen have long caught them - their way into the Yangtze River is mainly to escape from aquaculture and artificial release.
Especially the former, because hubei and hunan have large-scale spoon sturgeon farming industries, so when encountering large floods, a large number of farmed spoon sturgeon (and other hybrid sturgeon) often escape to the Yangtze River.
The Sturgeon That Died by the River – Infographic
Judging from the shape of the spoon-sturgeon caught by the Wuhan guy above (the color is darker and water-colored), it may have lived in the Yangtze River for a long time...
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="37" > Angler: Ready to eat</h1>
Although there is a "famous saying" in the angler that "the more strange it looks, the faster it is judged", after inquiry, the guy who caught this "large aquarium" was basically determined that this was an exotic species.
So he took it home and said he was ready to eat it — can the spoon sturgeon eat it?
Yangtze River Jun's note: Since it is an alien species, of course, it can be eaten - even Yangtze River Jun believes that eating should be encouraged, this large alien species will seize the living space of native sturgeon and other aquatic species, and there is a certain degree of ecological destruction.
In addition, although the meat yield of spoon sturgeon is not high, its bones are mostly edible cartilage, crisp and tender, do not discard waste...