China Stories: American Paddlefish or Chinese Paddlefish, they're all going extinct!
American Paddlefish or Chinese Paddlefish, they're all going extinct!
-With a little soy sauce they are probably tasty.
Plans to reduce a fish conservation zone in China's Yangtze River have met strong opposition from environmental groups. The reserve is considered the last safe haven for several endangered Chinese fish species, such as the paddlefish and suckerfish.
Chinese Paddlefish, Psephurus gladius (simplified Chinese: 白鲟; traditional Chinese: 白鱘; pinyin: báixún), also known as Chinese Swordfish, are among the largest freshwater fish. It is one of two extant paddlefish species, the other being the American Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula). It is also called "elephant fish" (象魚; xiàngyú) because its snout resembles an elephant trunk. It is recorded sometimes in Classical Chinese as wěi-fish (鮪). More poetically, it is sometimes referred to as the "Giant Panda of the Rivers", not because of any physical resemblance to a panda, but because of its rarity and protected status.
The Chinese Paddlefish is the People's Republic of China's first-level protected animal. Its belly is white and back and head grey. They live mostly in the middle or lower part of the Yangtze (Chang Jiang), occasionally in large lakes. They feed on other fish, as well as small amounts of crabs and crayfish.