WUHAN -- Nearly 182,000 fry of mullets, a rare fish variety under national protection, were released into the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, on Tuesday.

The move aims to further enhance public awareness of protecting aquatic life and promote the sustainable development of the fishery industry.

Local authorities have organized over 90 such events for releasing artificially bred fish species into the Yangtze River, Han River, and other natural lakes since 2006, totaling approximately 520 million fish seeds, according to data.