Re: NANFA-- chinese paddlefish

Anuratana Tejavej (anutej_at_loxinfo.co.th)
Wed, 03 Apr 2002 12:45:31 +0700

Here is translation from Arcnet [very rough English that need
intrepretation]:
http://sangenjaya.arc.net.my:9493/-_-http://www.ibsfu.fudan.edu.cn/Database/Hydrobiology/fish/book1/html/003.htm

3White öà White öà branch of medicine

Psephurus gladius (Martens)

£¨Like the fish, öà ×ê×Ó £©

Head speciality, occupies the body is long 1/3, Small individual
accounts for the body is long 1/2, The cloth has the feeling
device of plum blossom state to the moment fall into device. Kiss to
extend, appear in shape sword state, such unknown has
short must 1To. Eye is extremely small. Mouth big, below digit, arch,
the up and down ò¢ equally has the ϸ³Ý. Fish gill
Aperture is big. Fish gill membrane margo posterior is sharp. Surface
is smooth have not scale.

Inhabit at river lower level, now and then enter large scale lake. Is
healthy to swim, the sex is ferocious, the Ö÷ʳ different
kind of fishes, also food prawn, crab. Lay eggs at upriver of
Changjiang River springtime. Is the famous , rare different kind
of fishes, for our country solely possesses, have important meaning on
academic. Grow rapid, individual is extra large,
¡°thousand unit the December son, 10,000 unit like¡±of "elephant"
namely points at white öà. Had once recorded the body
lasts 7Rice people. Distribute ÓÚ³¤½­, qiantang river.

and from Altavista translation:

3 白鲟 白鲟 branches

Psephurus gladius (Martens)

(象鱼, 鲟 drill )

The forebody special skill, occupies the body is long 1 / 3 , the
small individual approximately comprises the body is long 1 / 2
, the cloth has the plum is efflorescent 感觉器 as soon as fall.
The lips lengthens, assumes the sword shape, its abdomen mask
short must 1 be right. The eye is really small. The mouth is big, the
lower position, the arc, above the lower jaw all has the
denticle. Gill Kong Da. After gill membrane reason point. The body
surface smoothly does not have the scale.

Roosts the rest in the rivers and streams the lower level, sometimes
enters the large-scale lake. Healthily swims, the sex
ominous is fierce, staple food fish, also eats the shrimp, the crab
and so on. Spring spawns upstream Yangtze River. Is the
famous rare and precious fish, is in sole possession of for our
country, in on academic has the vital significance. Grows rapidly,
individual especially big, " the extremely heavy sacrificial child,
ten thousand catties elephants " it " the elephant " namely refers
白鲟. Once recorded the body long amounts to 7 meters. Distributes
to Yangtze River, Qiantang River.

The original web page is:
http://www.ibsfu.fudan.edu.cn/Database/Hydrobiology/fish/book1/html/003.htm

I think the info is from the same book the pictures are from.

Tony

Christopher Scharpf wrote:
>
> Moon,
>
> There's a small b&w photo of the Chinese paddlefish in the textbook, THE
> DIVERSITY OF FISHES (p. 213). It has a sword-like rostrum and a protrusible
> mouth (like sturgeons). Its fewer thicker gill rakers resemble those of
> sturgeons. It grows to over 3 m and 700 kg. It feeds primarily on small
> pelagic and benthic fishes.
>
> There are color photos of the Chinese paddlefish in the book FRESHWATER
> FISHES OF CHINA IN COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS. I have scanned them and posted
> them here for a week or so:
>
> http://www.nanfa.org/members/hissom/chinesepaddle1.jpg
> http://www.nanfa.org/members/hissom/chinesepaddle2.jpg
>
> The book is in Chinese so I can't give any details about the photos.
>
> I have a copy of a 1997 paper by Wei et al., "Biology, fisheries, and
> conservation of sturgeons and paddlefish in China," Env. Biol. Fish. 48:
> 241-255. According to this paper:
>
> * The species is primarily threatened by hydroelectric dams that block free
> passage to spawning and feeding areas.
>
> * Since 1988, only 3-10 adult paddlefishes have been found below Geshouba
> Dam.
>
> * Limited spawning still exists above this dam, but when the massive Three
> Gorges Dam is completed (in 2009?), it will further threaten the paddlefish.
>
> * Artificial propagation appears to be the only hope for preventing its
> extinction, but it has yet (1997) to be successfully bred in captivity. [I
> know that some American paddlefish culturists are helping Chinese
> scientists. Jan, do you know more about this?]
>
> * Detailed biological investigations are impossible because the fish is so
> rare.
>
> * Migration patterns and spawning sites are unknown, but it is presumably
> anadromous. [Which could make breeding them in a lake problematic.]
>
> * Catching broodstock for a captive breeding program is difficut because the
> fish is so rare. Moreover, captive ripe males and females have never been
> available at the same time.
>
> * Adults are difficult to keep in captivity; the authors of this paper have
> been unable to hold brood fish for more than a month.
>
> Chris Scharpf
> Baltimore
>
> > All I have found so far is just a few scraps of info that really don't
> > connect well. Like the Chinese paddle fish is a predator not a filter feeder,
> > it's paddle is cone shaped instead of flat and that the Chinese import a
> > great many North American paddlefish fry and eyed eggs for some reason not
> > explained. I have spent hours looking for an illustration but no luck. If
> > there was ever an ecosystem that needed to be preserved by captive breeding
> > the ecosystem containing the endangered fish, reptiles and mammals the region
> > in question has to be it. Dolphins, dwarf alligators, and many rare fish.
> > Most of these animals are temperent zone animals so maybe a large lake in
> > North America could be used to house and help breed them. I know that is a
> > crazy idea but one day they will be missed. From what I have been able to
> > find out the Three Gorges Dam (that might not be the exact name) project is
> > queuing up to be the largest unnatural disaster on record but the Chinese
> > haven't consulted me as of yet ;-) But if wishes were fishes!
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