Catch giant sturgeon in China

Fishermen in northeastern China have caught a sturgeon weighing more than half a ton. This is the largest freshwater fish in the world and nearly extinct.

>>>Video: Catch giant sturgeon in China

Giant fish caught by fishermen.

The 617 kg Kaluga fish caught in the Heilongjiang River in Tongjiang, a city close to the Russian border, Telegraph reported.

Chen Lin, one of the fishermen caught the animal, said, this is the biggest fish he has ever seen. Fishermen have transferred it to a local sturgeon breeding center. Experts at the center said it was a female and was carrying about 1.2 million eggs. The number of eggs will be artificially inseminated and released to the Heilongjiang River.

Kaluga sturgeon (scientific name Huso dauricus ), is classified as extremely endangered and nearly extinct because people hunt for eggs. They are large, maximum 5.6m long, typically 150-400kg but can also reach a ton. Their lifespan can last up to 80 years.