1981: The recently opened Gezhouba Dam prevents fish on both sides of the structure from accessing other parts of the Yangtze River.

1982: An early version of the Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute is created to study the fish.

1983: China bans commercial fishing of Chinese sturgeon.

1984: Artificially bred sturgeons are released into the Yangtze for the first time.

1988: The Chinese sturgeon is listed as a protected species.

1996: The government of Hubei province sets up a protected zone for the Chinese sturgeon in Yichang.

1997: The sturgeon is placed on a protected list under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

2002: A Chinese sturgeon conservation zone is established in the Yangtze River Estuary in Shanghai. 2010: The International Union for Conservation of Nature names the Chinese sturgeon as a critically endangered species.

2021: A 10-year fishing ban is introduced in the Yangtze River as part of the Yangtze River Protection Law, which comes into force the same year.