A Chinese sturgeon is released to the Yangtze River in Yichang, central China's Hubei province, March 28, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

China has for the first time successfully bred a third filial generation of Chinese sturgeon entirely through artificial propagation, the China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC) announced on Thursday, marking a significant stage in the conservation and large-scale breeding of this rare species.

The third filial generation sturgeon were recently born at CTGC's Yangtze River rare fish conservation center. The parent fish involved -- a 13-year-old female and 14-year-old male -- were second filial generation sturgeon cultivated by the corporation's Yangtze River Biodiversity Research Center.

To ensure breeding quality, researchers began a strict selection process early this year, as well as months of nutritional enhancement and environmental simulation. Artificial induction and fertilization were conducted on Nov. 6 and 7, during the optimal breeding period. Monitoring showed a fertilization rate of over 95 percent. After five days of incubation, approximately 112,000 third filial generation fry were obtained.

"The successful birth of the third filial generation demonstrates that second filial generation sturgeon can mature fully and reproduce under artificial conditions," said Jiang Wei, deputy director of the research center. He noted that the larger population of second filial generation sturgeon will now supplant the first filial generation as the primary breeding group, advancing artificial population development to a sustainable, large-scale phase.

CTGC has said that it plans to build on this milestone by establishing a comprehensive "artificial-plus-natural" protection system, offering scientific basis and technical guidance for the restoration of wild sturgeon populations.

Endemic to China, the Chinese sturgeon is a rare migratory fish and one of the most primitive extant species, often described as a "living fossil." The first filial generation of Chinese sturgeon was bred from wild parent fish in the 1980s, producing the second filial generation successfully in 2009.