The Chishui River Observation and Research Station for Rare and Endemic Fish Conservation and Aquatic Biodiversity, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), successfully convened its 2025 Academic Committee Meeting on June 10, 2025. (Credit: IHB)

The Chishui River Observation and Research Station for Rare and Endemic Fish Conservation and Aquatic Biodiversity, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), successfully convened its 2025 Academic Committee Meeting on June 10, 2025. The hybrid event, held both online and in-person, brought together leading experts and officials to review the station's progress and strategize for its future.

The meeting was attended by esteemed members of the station's academic committee, including Academicians CHEN Yiyu, CAO Wenxuan (online), GUI Jianfang, WEI Fuwen, and YU Guirui, alongside Prof. MA Keping and Prof. SHI Peng. The event also saw participation from leadership representatives of the CAS Bureau of Basic Science and Technology Capacity, the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the CAS, and relevant functional departments of the Chishui City government. 

In his opening remarks, Prof. HU Wei, deputy director of IHB, extended a warm welcome to all participants. CHEN Daixie, deputy division chief of the CAS Bureau of Basic Science and Technology Capacity, provided an overview of the academy's strategic layout and planning for its national field station network. 

Prof. LIU Huanzhang, station director of the Chishui River Station, delivered a comprehensive work report. His presentation detailed the station's foundational overview, key research achievements and their demonstrative applications, talent development, infrastructure upgrades, open-sharing initiatives, operational management, and outlined strategic plans for the coming years. 

Further context was provided by Prof. XU Jun, deputy director of IHB, who introduced the strategic positioning, monitoring foundation, and overarching planning for the IHB's "One River, Multiple Stations" field observation network across the Yangtze River Basin. The scientific session featured two representative research progress reports by Prof. GAO Xin and Associate Prof. LIU Fei. 

Following the presentations, the scademic committee members held in-depth discussions on the station's objectives, the significant research progress made in 2024, and its future work plan.

The committee unanimously affirmed that the Chishui River Station possesses a distinctive focus, a solid foundation, and clear research directions. They commended its remarkable achievements in both scientific output and talent cultivation since its establishment. 

Looking ahead, the committee offered valuable guidance for the station's future development. Key recommendations included further refining critical scientific questions and continuously enhancing monitoring technologies. These efforts, they emphasized, will be crucial to better serving the national strategic needs of the Yangtze River Conservation.

Prof. CHEN Yiyu, a CAS member, investigated the Chishui River Observation and Research Station for Rare and Endemic Fish Conservation and Aquatic Biodiversity. (Credit: IHB)