The first artificially propagated acipenser sinensis, Chinese sturgeon, was born in an institution in central China's Hubei Province after more than 20 years of scientific efforts, said an expert Monday.

The successful breeding would help protect the rare species from fishery and other natural disturbance, said Guo Baifu, director of the acipenser sinensis breeding project.

The acipenser sinensis research institute had been breeding the first generation for 20 years and the first batch of artificially propagated acipenser sinensis was born after 91 hours of incubation, said Shang Zhenyang, head of the institute.

The experts had bred more than 28,000 eggs and more than 15,000 were expected to be born, Shang said.

Acipenser sinensis, better known as Chinese sturgeon, one of the oldest living things on the earth, had existed for more than 140 million years. The species had been listed as national protected wild creatures.