Endangered fish return home

cctv.com 07-12-2004 12:37

A large school of rare tropical freshwater fish is delighting visitors to Conghua, a popular hot-spring resort in South China's Guangdong Province. But very few people know the fish is one of the nation's most endangered species.

The scientific name of the fish is tanichthys albonubes. But for fish collectors around the world, they're better known as the "White Cloud Mountain Minnow", a reference to its original habitat in Guangdong. They were first discovered at this long-celebrated tourist destination more than seven decades ago. White Cloud Mountain later became the breeding center for the less-than two-inch fish. In the 1980s, Chinese scientists announced the White Cloud Mountain Minnow had disappeared from the place-- it was first found due to pollution. The minnow can survive in low water temperatures, but is very sensitive to water quality. Its reappearance in Guangdong is believed to be the result of years of environmental protection efforts.

Editor:Zhang  Source:CCTV.com