Peninsula all-media reporter Wang Yongduan
Mr. Liu, who is accustomed to swimming in the reservoir, couldn't help but be surprised when he stood on the edge of the reservoir this time, and a large baby fish appeared in the shallow water in front of him. On September 18, Mr. Liu, who lives in Pingdu City, went to the Pingdu Satellite Reservoir to swim alone when he found a baby fish weighing four or five catties in the shallow water area of the reservoir dam.
It is not the first time that the salamander has been found in the reservoir in Qingdao. On July 23 this year, a large baby fish was also found on the bank of a river on Wangqiaogu Road, Xifu Town, Chengyang District. In September last year, a villager in Laoshan District also found a large baby fish in the Laoshan Reservoir.
It stands to reason that there are no wild salamanders in Qingdao in the north, and salamanders are frequently found in wild waters, where did they come from? The reporter consulted some professionals about this, and the professionals all said that these baby fish were basically determined to be released after being raised domestically.
On September 18, the baby fish found in the Pingdu Reservoir.
"Aquatic life" appeared in the mountain reservoir
On September 18, Mr. Liu, who lives in Pingdu City, did not go to work. As usual, he went alone to the satellite reservoir in Pingdu City to swim.
"This summer and autumn have been exceptionally hot, and I often go swimming in the past, sometimes alone, sometimes with friends." Mr. Liu said, "When I arrived at the reservoir that day, there were already people swimming in the reservoir. ”
Just as he was about to enter the water, he suddenly spotted a creature swimming in the shallow water by the reservoir.
"The creature is grayish-brown all over, with a large head and four legs." Mr. Liu said that the creatures sometimes swim and sometimes crawl in the shallow waters of the dam, and he is not afraid of the close proximity. In this way, he stood on the dam and observed for a few seconds, and suddenly realized that the creature in front of him was a baby fish.
Feeling a little surprised, Mr. Liu also took out his mobile phone and took a video casually. In the tens of seconds of the video, the baby fish did not leave the shallow water of the waterfront. The salamander not only swims, but also sometimes pokes its head out of the water to breathe.
"The baby fish is at least 60 centimeters and weighs about four or five pounds." Mr. Liu said he shouted while taking pictures. His shouting was heard by some swimmers, who even swam over in a panic to see the creature in the water, and everyone asked "what is this" in surprise.
Rare "large" aquatic creatures suddenly appeared in the reservoir, and swimmers rushed to check them out. The aquatic creature is still crawling unhurriedly in the shallow waters. No one touched or captured the aquatic creature that popped up in the water.
"No one knows its habits, in case it gets bitten." Mr. Liu said, "After all, this kind of thing is rarely seen in the north. ”
Amid the curious sightings and discussions of swimmers, the baby fish stayed in the shallow water for two or three minutes, then turned its head and swam to the deep water and disappeared from everyone's view.
Swimmers in the Pingdu Reservoir are close to the baby fish.
"Aquatic life" is a protected species "baby fish"
In Mr. Liu's opinion, the aquatic creature that appeared in front of him was basically judged to be a baby fish.
On September 23, Mr. Liu sent three videos he had taken to Al Jazeera, who sent them to professionals. After judging from the video, professionals told reporters that the aquatic creature in the video was a baby fish. The professional said that the scientific name of the salamander, also known as the baby fish, is the world's largest living amphibian, weighing up to 5~10 kg. It is native to the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Pearl River.
In 2020, the salamander was listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The mainland lists wild giant salamanders in wild populations as second-class protected aquatic wild animals. Wild salamander needs to be protected, while the second generation and offspring of artificially farmed children can be used for aquatic products or resource development and utilization.
It is native to the mountain streams of the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Pearl River, and is also a "critically endangered species" in the world and a "second-class protected aquatic wild animal" in the mainland. Obviously, Mr. Liu and many other swimmers were also extremely puzzled. However, at that time, some swimmers said that someone had released the baby fish in the satellite reservoir earlier, and they suspected that the four or five pound baby fish was most likely released by man.
"They're also talking about a large pond next to the satellite reservoir that has previously been released with baby fish." Mr. Liu said that the water quality of the satellite reservoir and some of the surrounding large ponds is so clean and unpolluted that the releasers may think that the salamander can survive in such water.
Many waters appeared, suspected of being released
The fact is that in recent years, salamanders have been found in many waters of Qingdao.
On July 23 this year, Mr. Wang from Xifu Town, Chengyang District, found an unknown creature crawling on the bank of a river on Wangqiaogu Road. Later, Mr. Wang suspected that he was protecting the animal and immediately called the police. When the police arrived at the scene, they contacted the forest police and determined that the reptile Mr. Wang found was a baby fish. Later, the police said that the salamander was released by man.
In 2023, a villager also found a salamander on the bank of the Laoshan Reservoir. The baby fish was found with a "flat head and a black-brown body". After discovering this baby fish, the villager thought it was an ordinary big catfish at first, but when he looked closely, he found that it still had four legs and legs, and he had lived in Laoshan since he was a child, "I have never heard of a wild baby fish in Laoshan".
In September 2022, a baby fish found outdoors in Pingdu City was later sent to the Aquarium.
The frequent appearance of salamanders in the waters indicates to a certain extent that the water quality in these waters is good, which is suitable for the survival of salamanders with high water quality requirements. Good water quality, is it derived from wild salamander? Industry insiders told reporters that although the water quality in Qingdao is good, there is no wild baby fish, and these baby fish only have the possibility of "release". He also said that the suitable water temperature for the salamander is generally 10 °C ~ 25 °C, and the low water temperature in Qingdao in winter is difficult for the salamander to survive.
Another industry insider said that the vast majority of the baby fish sold in the Qingdao market currently comes from the southern aquaculture market. After these salamanders were transported to Qingdao from the south, some people bought them home for ornamental farming, and it is not excluded that the salamanders grew bigger and bigger during the breeding process, and were later released by some farmers.
The industry insider also said that the price of baby fish bred in the southern market and legally transported to the Qingdao market for sale is about 40 yuan per catty, and about 10 catties of baby fish can be seen in the market.