China's northernmost province releases over 100m fish hatchlings

HARBIN - Heilongjiang province in Northeast China has released more than 100 million fish hatchlings into its rivers in 2019 to repair the ecosystem and conserve fish species, the local government said.

The provincial agriculture and rural affairs department said cold water fish species were added this year, and more rare fish were released as well.

The waters targeted across the province included the Heilongjiang River, Wusuli River, Songhua River, Nen River and Khanka Lake. The released endangered fish species included Acipenser, burbot and Asiatic trout.

According to the department, 50,000 burbot hatchlings and 50,000 Asiatic trout hatchlings with an average length of 5 cm or above were released. Another 450,000 Acipenser hatchlings 8 to 18 cm long were released into the Heilongjiang River as well.