Government data released this month shows that while some fish populations in the Yangtze River basin have increased, the Chinese sturgeon, known as the “panda of the water”, remains critically endangered.
Estimates from acoustic surveys show that there were 11 Chinese sturgeon migrating in the Yangtze River in 2025. The findings were published in a government bulletin on the status of aquatic biological resources and habitats in the Yangtze River Basin on 1 April.
The Chinese sturgeon received its nickname due to its protected status in China. It is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Dam construction upstream has prevented it from migrating to spawn, leading to artificial propagation and release in an effort to increase wild populations. However, researchers noted that there has been no strong evidence of success. Citing data from the bulletin, Caixin states that since 2017, no natural reproduction of Chinese sturgeon has been observed.
China Fortune Network reported that the country has eight breeding farms, releasing over two million juvenile Chinese sturgeon into the Yangtze River since 2024.
Dam construction along with high-intensity human activities such as fishing have led to a continuous decline in the quantity and quality of fish populations in the Yangtze River, leading to the extinction of species such as the Chinese paddlefish.
In January 2021, a 10-year fishing ban was implemented in key waters of the Yangtze River basin.
The bulletin shows that five years after the ban, aquatic life in the Yangtze River basin shows signs of recovery. Forty-three additional native fish species were observed, and stocks of economically important fish such as carp and anchovy have gradually recovered, with increases in both biomass and population size. The number of Yangtze finless porpoises, another flagship species, has reached over 1,400 – an increase of nearly 180 from 2022 – and their distribution range has expanded.
However, in 2025, 53 wild finless porpoises died, including from collisions with vessels and entanglement in marine debris, the bulletin noted. The aquatic biological integrity index of the Yangtze River, which evaluates its ecological health, also remains at a relatively poor level, reported Caixin.
Read Dialogue Earth’s previous analysis about the 10-year Yangtze fishing ban.