Recently, the team of Researcher Yang Jian has made new progress in the research of otolith microchemistry.

The depletion of economic migratory fish stocks and habitat loss have become major issues of global concern due to the destruction of river and lake connectivity led by overfishing and human activities. Based on the collected Coilia nasus specimens and using advanced fish microchemical research methods, the team systematically compared and confirmed whether there was a distribution and habitat retention of anadydromous Coilia nasus in the Yangtze River Basin, the Yellow River Basin, as well as Poyang Lake, Dongting Lake, Gaoyou Lake, Gucheng Lake, Taihu Lake and Dongping Lake from 2016 to 2017. The results showed that except for Poyang Lake, no anadydromous Coilia nasus was found in the other lakes, and the ecological function of the important habitat such as distribution area and spawning ground of Coilia nasus was gradually lost. In addition to preventing water pollution, overfishing, and environmental damage, the team also suggested that restoring the connectivity of rivers and lakes is a key measure to restore important habitats in these lakes, and that the dynamics of migratory Coilia nasus can be used as a “model/indicator” species to determine the degree of stress or habitat restoration effect of these lakes. The results of the research are important for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and helping to address some of the world’s greatest challenges.

The research paper “Loss of Coilia nasus habitats in Chinese freshwater lakes: An otolith microchemistry assessment” was published in the international journal Heliyon (IF=4.0), with Ly Sokta, a master’s student from Wuxi Fisheries College, as the first author, and Researcher Yang Jian as the corresponding author.

Link to full paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04571