A Chinese sturgeon is prepared for release into the wild in Yichang, Hubei province, last year. [Photo/Xinhua] The construction of a bridge in Jingzhou, Hubei province, which allegedly caused the death of about 6,000 critically endangered Chinese sturgeon at a breeding facility, has been halted, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. An investigative team, assembled by the ministry's Yangtze River Fisheries Administration and the Hubei agricultural bureau, arrived in Jingzhou to investigate the deaths said to be caused by the construction of the Miyue Bridge in the city's Jinan ecocultural tourism zone, an official from the administration said. Part of the construction was allegedly carried out in national nature reserves, which is illegal, he said. The result of the investigation was not available as of Thursday night. The Jingzhou city government ordered the halt to the construction, and the investigative team will continue to watch the site to make sure that the construction does not resume, the official said. Any individual and organization involved in the death of Chinese sturgeon or illegal construction in a national nature reserve will be held accountable under the fisheries law, the law on the protection of wildlife and the environmental protection law, he said. Since the start of this year, 36 mature fish more than 20 years old, and about 6,000 younger ones up to 2 years old, have died at the Hengsheng aquafarm, which is near the construction site, ThePaper.cn reported on Sunday. The deaths were directly linked to the shocks, noises and changes of water sources caused by the construction, it said. Native to the Yangtze River, the Chinese sturgeon is almost extinct in the wild due to pollution, overfishing and the construction of massive dams. It now depends on artificial breeding for its survival. China launched its breeding program in the 1970s when scientists noticed a steep decline in the numbers of sturgeon, a species that can be traced back about 140 million years. According to earlier media reports, China is home to fewer than 1,000 adult Chinese sturgeon artificially bred from wild parents. Of those, more than half came from the Hengsheng aquafarm. Authorities ordered the operators of the construction project to move but they refused because there was no agreement on compensation. The team responsible for the project went ahead with construction, and it was this that led to the deaths of the extremely precious fish, according to The-Paper.cn. Over the past year, more than 10 official inspection teams have visited the construction site and ordered a halt, but each time their instructions went unheeded, the report said. An executive from the breeding facility was quoted as saying that as the construction work moved closer to the aquafarm, the fish became increasingly distressed and they sometimes leaped out of the water. Wei Qiwei, a principal scientist at the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, was quoted as saying that the 36 mature fish that died were among the first generation to have been artificially bred. As their parents were taken from the wild, the adults were extremely precious as they had a richer genetic diversity than their own offspring, he said. Zhou Lihua in Wuhan contributed to this story. custom braceletssilicone braceletscolored rubber bands for braceletscystic fibrosis rubber braceletsrubber wristbands
China's latest trainer aircraft, delivered recently to the People's Liberation Army Navy, is expected to help improve the training of pilots based on aircraft carriers. The PLA Navy said in a statement last week that its Naval Aviation University in Shandong province had held a commissioning ceremony for a new type of trainer jet at an unidentified naval airport along the Bohai Sea. The statement said the aircraft is a third-generation trainer jet developed by the Aviation Industry Corp of China's Hongdu Aviation Industry Group in Nanchang, Jiangxi province. Rear Admiral Wang Jundong, political commissar of the university, was quoted in the statement as saying at the ceremony that the service of the new trainer jet will complement the university's trainer fleet and enable pilots to get more realistic experience for air combat. Though the statement did not identify the new aircraft, pictures published by the university showed that it is a Hongdu Aviation Industry L-15 advanced trainer jet. At least 12 L-15s were delivered at the ceremony. According to AVIC, a leading aircraft maker in the country, the domestically developed L-15 has two engines, a streamlined aerodynamic design and integrated avionics. The L-15 has two types - one for advanced jet training and the other for lead-in fighter training, the State-owned defense giant said. Trainer jets for advanced application teach student pilots how to operate supersonic aircraft and how to carry out sophisticated aerial maneuvers, while those for lead-in fighter training are enhanced versions of advanced jet models and focus on familiarizing trainees with combat maneuvers and skills. AVIC also noted that the L-15 has a maximum speed of 1,200 kilometers per hour and a maximum flight range of 2,600 km. Before the L-15, the PLA Navy lacked a third-generation trainer aircraft, so it had to rely on its second-generation JJ-7 trainer jet and that aircraft's upgraded version, the JL-9, to conduct advanced training for student pilots. Currently, a Navy flight student will fly the CJ-6 pistonengine basic trainer, followed by the JL-8 intermediate trainer jet. When pilots begin the advanced training stage, both the JJ-7 and JL-9 will be used to simulate real fighter aircraft. Wang Ya'nan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said the use of the L-15 will help shorten the time required for Navy aviators' training before they become qualified to operate modern fighter jets. The trainer jet will be especially useful for carrier-based pilots, Wang said. The L-15 has advanced design and equipment, and its capabilities are very close to those of a genuine fighter jet. Compared with its predecessors, it is more suitable for carrier-based pilots' flight training, Wang said. cute rubber band braceletscolored rubber bands for braceletssilicone wristbandscheap custom wristbandscustom bracelets<%2fcenter>
