Chinese Sturgeon Museum

The Chinese Sturgeon Museum is situated on the islet in Xiaoxita in Yichang. Built in 1982, the Chinese Sturgeon Museum is part of the Chinese Sturgeon Institution of China which is using artificial breeding techniques to try to preserve this endangered species.

As a kind of animal strictly protected by the Chinese government, the Chinese Sturgeon has a history of 140 million years, and is thought to have lived at the same time as dinosaurs. That is why it is called a 'living fossil'. The Chinese sturgeon is mainly distributed in the trunk tributaries of the Yangtze River and some coastal rivers. Between the summer and autumn every year, it used to swim to the upper reaches of the Yangtze to spawn then carried its fry back to the lower reaches. It is large in size and imposing and dignified in bearing and can grow up to 4 meters (13ft) in length, weigh up to 500kg and is the biggest of all species of sturgeonin the world and the biggest animal in the Yangtze River.

The dam of the Yangtze has blocked the sturgeon's route, which will have a bad influence on the natural breeding patterns of the Chinese sturgeon. The Chinese government is taking more measures to protect this kind of valuable and rare species.

Admission Fee: CNY 25