Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute

Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute

The Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute is located on Huangbaihe River’s midstream island in Yiling District, Yichang City, covering an area of 12 hectares. It is the only professional research institution in China dedicated to protecting the Chinese sturgeon, a first-class nationally protected animal. Over the 20 years since its establishment in 1982, the institute has artificially bred and released nearly 5 million Chinese sturgeons of various sizes into the Yangtze River, effectively replenishing the species’ population and preventing the extinction of this rare species due to the blockage of its migratory routes caused by the construction of the Gezhouba and Three Gorges dams. During the artificial breeding and conservation process, the institute has achieved 30 provincial- and ministerial-level scientific research accomplishments, established a complete set of technical protocols for the artificial breeding and conservation of Chinese sturgeons, and trained a group of young and middle-aged professionals specializing in sturgeon protection.

In addition, the Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute has actively explored the protection of other rare fish species in the Yangtze River. It has carried out artificial breeding of the Chinese high-fin banded shark, a second-class nationally protected animal, releasing over 10,000 individuals and mastering mature techniques for its artificial breeding. At the same time, the institute has consistently combined scientific research, breeding conservation, and public awareness efforts, striving to enhance environmental consciousness and ecological balance concerns. It has actively promoted science education and, on this basis, established a tourism company in 1993 focused on Chinese sturgeon exhibits. Over the past decade, the company has welcomed nearly 2 million domestic and international visitors, generating nearly 10 million yuan in revenue and achieving significant social and economic benefits. Leaders of the Party and state, as well as key officials from central ministries and commissions, have visited the institute multiple times, fully acknowledging its achievements in the conservation of Chinese sturgeons and other rare Yangtze River fish species.

As of 2006, the Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute had 56 employees on duty, including 33 professional and technical personnel (7 with senior titles and 16 with intermediate titles). It comprises a research center, an office, a party-masses department, a finance department, a logistics support department, a quality and safety assurance department, and the Yichang Chinese Sturgeon Tourism Development Company.