China's Chinese Sturgeon Has Not Reproduced Naturally for Nine Consecutive Years, Report Reveals

China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has revealed that the Chinese sturgeon, a critically endangered species often called the "panda of the Yangtze River," has not reproduced naturally for nine consecutive years, with only 11 adult fish detected below the Gezhouba Dam in 2025.

The findings were published in the "Yangtze River Basin Aquatic Biological Resources and Habitat Status Bulletin (2025)," a joint report by the ministry and other agencies. The report shows the Yangtze's aquatic biodiversity index remains at a "poor" level overall, with the Dadu River scoring the lowest at 32 out of 100.

The sturgeon population has experienced a catastrophic decline since systematic monitoring began. In 1983, 2,176 adult sturgeon migrated up the Yangtze to spawn. By 2024, that number had fallen to just 10. Natural reproduction first failed in 2013, became sporadic, and ceased entirely by 2017.

In 2022, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared the Yangtze paddlefish extinct and the Yangtze sturgeon extinct in the wild, placing the Chinese sturgeon in the "critically endangered" category.

The report also noted that sand mining in the Yangtze basin has rebounded, increasing 19.2% from 2024, with Dongting Lake experiencing a 42.1% surge. However, the Yangtze finless porpoise population has recovered slightly to 1,426 individuals.

The sturgeon's collapse reflects the cumulative impact of dam construction, overfishing, pollution, and habitat degradation on one of the world's great river ecosystems.