Zanyi Sturgeon

Zanyi Sturgeon

　　China has a vast territory with rich and diverse ecological environments. The species and numbers of sturgeons (order Acipenseriformes) are relatively abundant, and their distribution range is extensive—from the Heilongjiang River and the Irtysh River in the north to the Pearl River in the south, as well as most coastal waters along China’s shores. However, as latitude decreases, both the variety and quantity of sturgeons slightly decrease.

According to literature from 1834, the type locality of the Chinese sturgeon is China. Although it is not endemic to China, it became well known because its type locality is here. Later, based on historical records of China at that time and subsequent research, some have speculated that it might be Guangzhou. Its distribution is quite wide, found along the coast of the Bohai Sea in China, including Dalian, Lushun, Liaodong Bay, and the Liaohe River; in the northern Yellow Sea around Marine Island in Liaoning Province and the Yalu River, which forms the border between China and North Korea; in Shidao in Shandong, the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, the Qiantang River, Ningbo, the Ou River, the Min River, Jixiong in Taiwan, and the Pearl River system. In the Yangtze River, it can be found as far as the lower reaches of the Jinsha River; in the Pearl River system, it ascends as far as Sanshui and Fengkai on the West River, as well as Ruyuan on the North River, and even reaches the Xun River, Yu River, and Liu River in Guangxi; it is also found along the coasts of Hainan Province. Internationally, it is found at the mouth of the Han River in North Korea, as well as in the Lijiang River and the western coast of Kyushu in Japan.

Currently, the Chinese sturgeon is mainly distributed in the main channel of the Yangtze River from the Jinsha River downstream to the river mouth. It also occasionally appears in other river systems such as the Gan River, Xiang River, Min River, Qiantang River, and the Pearl River system.