Rare large sturgeon found at a lake in China

A rare large Chinese fish has been caught by a fisherman in China's largest freshwater Poyang Lake in Jiangxi province, local fishery authorities said today.

The sturgeon which measures 1.3 meters and weighs about 13.5 kilograms (29.8 pounds) is the largest Chinese sturgeon ever discovered in the lake, the fishery bureau of the Poyang County said.

Mao Qilong caught the sturgeon and reported it to the bureau on Sunday, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

It was then released to the lake on the same day, the bureau said.

Believed to have lived at the same time as dinosaurs, the Chinese sturgeon, has existed for more than 140 million years.
 

The fish, nicknamed aquatic pandas, is listed as a wild creature under top national protection.