For the first time, China has successfully bred a third-generation (F3) Chinese sturgeon entirely through artificial propagation, the China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC) announced on Thursday. This marks a significant milestone in the conservation and large-scale breeding of this rare species.

The third-generation sturgeon were recently born at CTGC's Yangtze River Rare Fish Conservation Center. The parent fish involved – a 13-year-old female and a 14-year-old male – were second-generation sturgeon cultivated by the corporation's Yangtze River Biodiversity Research Center.

To ensure breeding quality, researchers initiated a strict selection process earlier this year, along with months of nutritional enhancement and environmental simulation. Artificial induction and fertilization took place on November 6 and 7, during the optimal breeding period. Monitoring showed a fertilization rate of over 95 percent. After five days of incubation, approximately 112,000 third-generation fry were obtained.

"The successful birth of the third generation demonstrates that second-generation sturgeon can mature fully and reproduce under artificial conditions," said Jiang Wei, deputy director of the research center. He noted that the larger population of second-generation sturgeon will now replace the first generation as the primary breeding group, advancing artificial population development into a sustainable, large-scale phase.

CTGC has stated that it plans to build on this milestone by establishing a comprehensive "artificial-plus-natural" protection system, offering scientific and technical support for the restoration of wild sturgeon populations.

Endemic to China, the Chinese sturgeon is a rare migratory fish and one of the most primitive extant species, often described as a "living fossil." The first generation of Chinese sturgeon was bred from wild parent fish in the 1980s, with the second generation successfully bred in 2009.