Discover 8 Spectacular Fish Found in China

China’s population of 1.4 billion people is the highest in the world. This large country has a lot of natural biodiversity, containing over 34,000 species of plants and animals. After Colombia and Brazil, it is the world’s third most biodiverse country! Additionally, China is home to many spectacular fish.

China (and its fish population) has been uniquely affected by climate change and industrialization. The nation rapidly became more industrialized in the 1990s and 2000s. Thus, pollution increased significantly, and now China rates second for having the most deaths due to air pollution after India. In more recent years, they have made efforts to hamper air and water pollution by investing in renewable energy, aiming to go carbon neutral by 2060, and strengthening protections for some natural regions like the Yangtze River.

Keep reading to find out about some of the most common fish species found in the People’s Republic of China.

1. Silver Carp

As its name suggests, the silver carp is a silvery color. This fish is native to both China and Siberia. It is endangered in the wild, but it is the second most cultivated fish in China after the grass carp. This species has also been introduced into 88 other countries, mostly for fish farming. However, silver carp have become a troublesome invasive species in some of these areas.

These fish are usually between 2 and 3.5 feet long, but they can grow up to just under 5 feet and they can weigh up to 110 pounds. One unique fact about this fish species is that it can leap out of the water to heights of 10 feet, earning it the nickname “flying carp.”

2. Chinese Rice Fish

Chinese rice fish are small, 1-inch-long freshwater fish. They tend to live in swamps and rice fields, or any place where the water is somewhat stagnant. These omnivorous fish are important for the rice growing process. When they are present in rice patties, between 4 and 15% more rice grows! The presence of these fish adds nutritious protein to the rice. Additionally, Chinese rice fish eat microorganisms that could harm rice crops, further helping the agricultural process.

Due to their small size and ease of reproduction, this species is often used in lab experiments and research.

3. Chinese Bahaba

Another name for this fish is the giant yellow croaker. It is a large fish that can grow up to 6 feet 7 inches long. It can weigh over 200 pounds! In China, it lives in parts of the Yangtze River, the Min River, the Pearl River, and around Zhoushan Island.

The golden-colored fish is critically endangered, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This may be partially due to overfishing, and a decline in their natural habitats. The fish species is protected in China. Unfortunately, it is not protected in Hong Kong and is still frequently caught and sold into Chinese markets. The bladders of this fish species are important in traditional Chinese medicine, and the flesh is highly prized. Due to their extreme rarity, a single member of this species could sell for over $4 million as of 2016!

4. Chinese Sillago

This Chinese fish was only recently discovered in 2011. Their habitat is quite limited, as they only live in estuary flats near Wenzhou, in Zhejiang Province. Because this fish species was so newly discovered, not much is known about its behaviors or biology. However, they are similar in shape to other fish in the sillago genus, and their coloring is yellowish brown with a silver-grey color on the belly.

5. Chinese Sturgeon

This highly endangered fish is heavily protected by the Chinese government, which has labeled it a “national treasure,” similar to the giant panda. It was originally native to areas of China, Korea, and Japan, but has become extinct in much of its natural habitat due to overfishing and habitat loss. In the 1970s, it was estimated that around 2,000 Chinese sturgeons spawned in a certain area of the Yangtze River. Now just a few hundred do so.

These massive fish range from 6 to 16 feet long and can weigh up to 1100 pound! The Chinese sturgeon is one of the largest sturgeon species in the entire world. Their lifecycle is similar to salmon. They spend most of their time in freshwater but go to saltwater to spawn, often traveling upstream to reach the ocean. However, unlike salmon, they can spawn multiple times in their lives.

Many conservation efforts in China are attempting to bring the Chinese sturgeon back. One repopulation program attempts to introduce young sturgeon to the Yangtze River. Another agency breeds the fish in captivity to preserve the species.

6. Japanese Whiting

While the name of this fish might suggest it is only found in Japan, it is also found in China, Korea, and Taiwan. They are caught by both commercial fishermen and individual sport fishermen. These fish are most often caught during spawning, which happens between June and October. They grow to be around a foot long and are greenish with a white underside. Although this fish is found in China, it is most economically important to Japan. In places outside of Japan, it is most often collected as bycatch when fishing for other species.

7. Northern Snakehead

The northern snakehead is a brown and white spotted fish that is native to China, as well as Russia and North and South Korea. They grow up to about 3 feet long on average, but some individuals grow closer to 5 feet. This unique fish species can breathe air so well that it can actually live out of water for a few days. Because of this, members of this species can actually move between different bodies of water. They get around on land by wriggling their bodies.

In China and much of Asia, the northern snakehead is an important commercial food fish. In other areas of the world, it is an invasive species. Because they can move between bodies of water, and they easily establish breeding populations in new states, they commonly threaten ecosystems. They have been found in Maryland, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, and Virginia. When they are found, extreme measures are sometimes taken to prevent their spread and disruption to an entire ecosystem or watershed.

8. Pacific Cod

Other names for Pacific cod include gray cod and grayfish. They are bottom-dwelling fish found all around the rim of the Pacific Ocean, including the ocean around China. They can be as long as 40 inches and weigh over 30 pounds. While this is an important fish for commercial purposes, not much is known about its conservation status. In the 90s, as many as 430 tons of Pacific cod were caught per year. Today, different organizations, like the US North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) set quotas for Pacific cod to try to avoid overfishing.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/NataliaBelay