Another rare Chinese sturgeon dies in HK's Ocean Park

HONG KONG, Jan. 3 (Chinese media) -- The Hong Kong Ocean

Park said here Saturday that another Chinese sturgeon died Friday, raising the

death toll of the rare aquatic species in the park to three inhalf a year.

Tom Mehrmann, Chief Executive of the Ocean Park, told

a press conference here Saturday that the Chinese sturgeon No. 1 had developed

abnormal syndromes like the degradation of immunity and anorexia a few week ago.

Mehrmann said the health condition of the Chinese sturgeon No. 1 suddenly

deteriorated in the past two days and died Friday morning.

"We are sorry about another death of the Chinese

sturgeon," Mehrmann said, "and we will have other seven alive Chinese sturgeons

under our close monitoring."

He said five of the seven remaining Chinese sturgeons

in the park were in good health but another two were in bad condition with

similar anorexia syndromes. The theme park will shut down the sturgeon aquarium

infinitely till further notice.

According to the anatomy results of the dead sturgeon

No. 1, there were bruises in the fish head and extravasated blood inside, which

might point to the park's salinating aquarium water for its death.

The Chinese sturgeons, which is thought to have lived

at the same time as dinosaurs and found only in China, can live in both

freshwater and saltwater, arrived in Hong Kong in freshwater in 2008 and have

been undergoing a gradual transition to saltwater at Ocean Park.

Preliminary investigation showed improperly induced

salination could have harmed the health of the fish and made them more

susceptible to infection.

Wei Qiwei, a fellow researcher from the Yangtze River

Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fisheries Science, said

at the joint press conference with the Ocean Park that more research was needed

on keeping the species in different environments.

"The surviving rate for Chinese sturgeons in

captivity is very low," Wei said, "thus it is hard for protecting the species."

"As the Ocean Park has never raised a Chinese

sturgeon before," Wei said, "challenge and difficulty is expected for the park

to nurse the fish properly. And the aquatic experts in the Chinese mainland will

further cooperate with the park on further study and protection of the fish."

The latest death of the rare Chinese fish was the

third of the rare Chinese sturgeon lost by the theme park in six months, after

one was killed by a bite from a barracuda in June 2008 and another died of

infection similar to the sturgeon No. 1 last month.

The Ocean Park received five Chinese sturgeons from

the Chinese mainland in June 2008 as a gift for the Olympic Equestrian events in

Hong Kong. It was the first time the sturgeons has been sent outside the Chinese

mainland.