Protecting wildlife

Known as a “living fossil”, the Chinese sturgeon is a very precious species. It is believed to have lived alongside the dinosaurs more than 140 million years ago.
被称为“活化石”的中华鲟是一种十分珍稀的物种。人们认为，它曾和恐龙生活在同一时期，距今已有1.4亿年。

Although dinosaurs are long since gone, the Chinese sturgeon still exists to this day.
尽管恐龙早已灭绝，但中华鲟至今依然存在。

However, the species has been listed as “Critically Endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. According to CGTN, dams and overfishing affect its reproduction. In 2018, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the annual rate of reproduction was between 4.5 percent and zero.
但这一物种已被世界自然保护联盟濒危物种红色名录列为“极度濒危物种”。据中国国际电视台报道，修建水坝与过度捕捞影响了中华鲟的繁殖。自然资源保护协会2018年称，中华鲟的年繁殖率在0-4.5%之间。

On May 14, Shanghai legislators passed a new law protecting the Chinese sturgeon, emphasizing “regional cooperation”, according to China Daily.
据《中国日报》报道，5月14日，上海市十五届人大常委会第21次会议表决通过一项保护中华鲟的新条例，并强调了区域协作。

“This is the first local legislation in the country to protect one endangered fish,” said Ding Wei, director of the legislative affairs committee of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress.
“这是是国内第一部保护濒危鱼类的地方法规，”上海市人大常委会法工委主任丁伟如此说道。

Expected to take effect on June 6, the regulation urges cooperation in law enforcement, scientific research and rescue of the species between Shanghai and other provinces and regions in the Yangtze River basin, according to People’s Daily.
据《人民日报》报道，该条例将于6月6日起施行，要求上海与长江流域其他地区相关部门在对于中华鲟的执法、科研、救助方面协同合作。

The need for collaborative efforts is due to the living habitat of the Chinese sturgeon. As an anadromous species, it mainly lives in the Yangtze River and depends on the Yangtze estuary for migration.
根据中华鲟的栖息地特点，对中华鲟的保护需要与长江流域各地区协同合作。中华鲟具有溯河产卵的习性，主要生活在长江流域，并根据长江口进行迁移。

The protection of the Chinese sturgeon is urgent. China began the artificial propagation and release of the fish in 1984. However, very few of the farmed fish have survived in the wild. The number of first filial generation Chinese sturgeons through artificial breeding is less than 1,000, according to a report by the Shanghai Observer.
保护中华鲟刻不容缓。1984年，我国开始对中华鲟进行人工繁殖放流。但这些人工繁殖的中华鲟却很少能在野外存活。上观新闻发布的一份报告显示，通过人工繁育的子一代中华鲟总量不足1000尾。

Whether this species can be preserved depends on the natural population. “If the natural population is not well protected, the Chinese sturgeon is in danger of extinction,” Li Furong, vice chairperson of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee of Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress, said in the report.
这个物种能否保存下来，就要看自然种群。“自然种群如果保护不得力，中华鲟就有灭绝的危险，” 上海市人大农业与农村委副主任委员李富荣在报告中如此说道。

With the number of the Chinese sturgeon in sharp decline, China has used different measures to preserve the species. In 2002, Shanghai first set up the natural reserve for the sturgeon in the mouth of the Yangtze River. In 2018, the State Council issued a guideline to improve biodiversity in the Yangtze River region. It stated that human activities, including building dams, water pollution and overfishing have had a severe impact on aquatic life in the Yangtze River.
面对中华鲟数量骤减，中国采取了多种措施来保护这一物种。2002年，上海首次在长江口设立中华鲟自然保护区。2018年，国务院发布了关于加强长江生物多样性的意见。意见指出，拦河筑坝、水域污染、过度捕捞等人类活动严重影响了长江水生生物。

Since Jan 1 of this year, a 10-year fishing ban on key areas of the Yangtze River basin has been issued, covering 332 nature reserves, which includes Shanghai’s Chinese sturgeon nature reserve.
自今年1月1日起，长江流域包括332个自然保护区的重点水域实施为期十年的禁捕，上海市长江口中华鲟自然保护区也名列其中。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高一794期