HARBIN, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Dongning City in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Friday released 400,000 salmon fry into the Suifen River, in a bid to sustain stocks of the rare fish.
The river, originating in Jilin Province, serves as a major spawning ground for salmon. The fish migrate to the Pacific Ocean through the river and return three to four years later to spawn after they reach sexual maturity.
By late April, the river temperature becomes optimal for the survival of salmon fry, many of which have been nurtured for approximately six months prior to release, said Shan Jun, a fishery official in Dongning.
Fishery authorities in Dongning have released approximately 15 million salmon fry over the past 36 years in an unremitting endeavor to increase fish stocks in the river.
The local authorities have also implemented a series of measures, such as reducing fishing, initiating a fishing moratorium, and setting up aquatic germplasm resource reserves to improve and restore the ecological condition of the river. ■
