Giant Chinese paddlefish dubbed the ‘Panda of the Yangtze River’ is declared extinct due to overfishing and habitat loss
- The giant Chinese paddlefish up to 10 feet in length has been found to be extinct
- Researchers say its native Yangtze River has been affected by human activity
- Conservation efforts on endangered Yangtze fishes are now urgently needed.
China has declared its giant paddlefish, dubbed ‘the Panda of the Yangtze River’ for its enormous size, extinct following decades of overfishing.
According to scientists at the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Psephurus gladius, which can grow to 22 feet in length, went extinct between 2005 and 2010.
Extinction has been caused by overfishing since the 1970s and humans destroying their habitat. Pollution and urbanisation also played a role in their demise.
There were only 210 sightings of ‘the giant panda of the rivers’ between 1981 and January 2003, when the last live specimen was found and released back into the river.
The giant Chinese paddlefish was said to be up to 22 feet in length but was on average around 10 feet long – one of the biggest freshwater fish in the world
‘We estimated the timing of extinction to be by 2005, and no later than by 2010,’ the researchers say in Science of the Total Environment.
The fish, which was around 10 feet long on average, was native to the Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia, along with a diverse selection of megafauna – large or giant animals.
THE WORLD’S LARGEST FRESHWATER FISH
1. Beluga Sturgeon: 20-24 feet, Caspian and Black Sea
2. White Sturgeon, 20 feet, North America
3. Giant Freshwater Stingray, 16.4 feet, Thailand
4. Wels Catfish 16 feet, Central and Eastern Europe
5. Chinese Paddlefish, 10 feet Yangtze River
Source: largest.org
These include the Chinese Alligator, the Finless Porpoise and the Yangtze Sturgeon – two of which are classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, while the porpoise is described as vulnerable.
The team conducted a basin-wide survey between 2017 and 2018 and of the 332 fish species found, did not find a single live specimen of Chinese paddlefish.
The team reported another 140 historically reported fish species that were not found, most of which considered highly endangered.
The ecosystem has been affected by human activity resulting in a loss of biodiversity, the result of which may also be the extinction of the Yangtze River Dolphin – which was declared extinct but later reportedly sighted in 2016.
Psephurus gladius was previously listed as ‘critically endangered, possibly extinct’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and has already been ‘functionally extinct’ since 1993 – meaning the species no longer plays an active role in its ecosystem as it is unable to produce.
The fish, which was around 10 feet long on average, was native to the Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia, along with a diverse selection of megafauna – large or giant animals
There were only 210 sightings of ‘the giant panda of the rivers’ between 1981 and January 2003, when the last live specimen was found and released back into the river
It is likely that lack of reproduction was among the major causes of extinction, but a population decline generally since the late 1970s has been a result of overfishing and habitat fragmentation.
While the last living Chinese paddlefish specimen was observed in 2003, another was illegally fished and died with six hooks in its body four years later.
Another contributor has been the construction of the Gezhouba Dam in 1981, which blocked the creature’s migration route.
The Chinese Alligator is also native to the Yangtze River and is classified as critically endangered
Conserved living tissues of an extinct species can be resurrected using cloning or genome editing – a process known as ‘de-extinction’ – but no living tissue of Psephurus gladius has been conserved.
Therefore, the species should be considered extinct on the IUCN Red List, the researchers say, which is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species
Psephurus gladius was one of only two surviving members of a population that was widespread about 34-75 million years ago, the team says, and conservation efforts on the river are urgently needed.
WHAT IS THE ENDANGERED ‘RED LIST’?
Species on the endangered red list are animals of the highest conservation priority that need ‘urgent action’ to save.
An Amber list is reserved for the next most critical group, followed by a green list.
Red list criteria:
- Globally threatened
- Historical population decline in UK during 1800–1995
- Severe (at least 50 per cent) decline in UK breeding population over last 25 years
- Severe (at least 50 per cent) contraction of UK breeding range over last 25 years
Last year, in the UK, several more species were added to the list.
These included:
- Atlantic puffin
- Nightingale
- Long-tailed duck
- Turtle dove
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