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        "description": "<p>September 11, 2007\u2014Join biologist Zeb Hogan of the National Geographic Society's Megafishes Project as he explores the threats facing the giant Chinese sturgeon and the efforts underway to save it.</p>", 
        "is_us_only": "false", 
        "title": "'Giant Fish' Faces Big Trouble in China", 
        "url": "http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/animals-news/mega-fish-vin/", 
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                    "url": "http://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/index.html", 
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        "credit": "Video by S. Lovgren; some video from Wei Qiwei, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Inst.", 
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        "transcript": "<p>&lt;!--  /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal \t{mso-style-unhide:no; \tmso-style-qformat:yes; \tmso-style-parent:\"\"; \tmargin:0in; \tmargin-bottom:.0001pt; \tmso-pagination:widow-orphan; \tfont-size:12.0pt; \tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\"; \tmso-fareast-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";} .MsoChpDefault \t{mso-style-type:export-only; \tmso-default-props:yes; \tfont-size:10.0pt; \tmso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; \tmso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page WordSection1 \t{size:8.5in 11.0in; \tmargin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; \tmso-header-margin:.5in; \tmso-footer-margin:.5in; \tmso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 \t{page:WordSection1;} --&gt;</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Biologist Zeb Hogan is getting a close-up look at one of the world's largest freshwater fishes: the Chinese sturgeon. \\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">The sturgeons can grow up to 16 feet or 5 meters long and weigh almost 1,000 pounds.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">HOGAN: It's a big fish ... strong ... tail free ... can really whip around.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">The Chinese sturgeon may be powerful, but this giant species is also in big trouble.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Its home, the Yangtze River in China, Asia's longest river, is increasingly threatened by heavy boat traffic and pollution.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Hogan is leading the National Geographic Society's Megafishes Project, a three-year study to document the status of the 20 or so species of giant fish found in rivers and lakes around the world. \\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">More than a fifth of the world's known freshwater fish species have become extinct or gravely threatened in recent years.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Megafishes are often the first ones to suffer from overfishing or habitat loss.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Today there may be less than 1,000 adult sturgeons left in the Yangtze River.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">The construction of the Ghezouba Dam in the early 1980s blocked the migration route to the spawning grounds of the sturgeon.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">The new Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, will present another threat to these giant fish.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">HOGAN (at Dam): From the fish's perspective, nothing worse than a dam ... no spawning ground left for the sturgeon.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Each year at least 10 sturgeons are also killed after being hit by boat propellers.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Researchers like Wei Qiwei of the Yangtze River Fisheries Institute are locked in a race against time to save the giant fish.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Here at a hatchery outside Jingzhou, Wei and his colleagues are running a breeding program to enhance the sturgeon stock.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">WEI AND HOGAN: 1/2 million larvae producing fingerlings.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Researchers may yet save the Chinese sturgeon, but for an even larger Yangtze giant, the Chinese paddlefish, it may be too late. \\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">In late 2002, Dr. Wei and his team attempted to rehabilitate one of the last paddlefishes captured in the wild.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">It had been injured by a boat, and died in captivity less than 30 days after its capture.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">The paddlefish can reportedly grow up to 23 feet or 7 meters long and weigh more than half a ton.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">But no paddlefish has been seen since 2003.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">Wei believes there may still be a dozen paddlefish in the Yangtze, perhaps hiding in caves and holes in the upper parts of the river.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">WEI: No fish (yet), but we use a fish finder to find what could be a Chinese paddlefish. We found some signals.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">His 60-foot research vessel is equipped with a tank and a crane ready to rescue any giant fish that he might find.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">If the search fails, this may be the closest we'll ever get to see the Chinese paddlefish again.\\</p><p class=\"MsoNormal\">\\</p>", 
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