Qingjiang Silver Fish

Qingjiang Silver Fish

　　Qingjiang Silver Fish is a specialty of Changyang County, Yichang City, Hubei Province. It is one of the larger species in the family Salangidae and is produced in the Geheyan Reservoir of the Changyang Tujia Autonomous County. The fish has a delicious taste, tender flesh, soft bones, no scales, and can be eaten whole.

　　“Eight hundred li of the Qingjiang River are as beautiful as a painting, and three hundred li of that painting gallery lie in Changyang.” Thanks to the construction of two large hydropower stations—the Geheyan and Gaobazhou Dams—on the middle and lower reaches of the Qingjiang River, a water area of 200,000 mu has been formed. The water quality and environment of the Qingjiang River are particularly suitable for the growth of silver fish. The Qingjiang Silver Fish was introduced from Taihu Lake. Adult fish generally measure between 90–200 mm in length, with the largest reaching up to 224 mm. The Qingjiang Silver Fish from Changyang boasts a delicious taste, tender flesh, soft bones, and no intermuscular bones, making it suitable for eating whole. It is highly nutritious, rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, niacin, as well as vitamins B1 and B2. It offers health benefits such as “diuresis, lung moisturizing, and cough relief.” According to expert assessments, the silver fish yield in the Qingjiang Reservoir area of Changyang can reach 1,050 tons. Achieving this target could generate an annual income of over 20 million yuan and tax revenue of 5 million yuan.