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    "id":"mega-fish-vin",
    

    "smil":"http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/data/xml/mega-fish-vin.smil",

    "title":"\u0027Giant Fish\u0027 Faces Big Trouble in China",

    "transcript":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026lt\u003B!\u002D\u002D  /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal \u0009{mso\u002Dstyle\u002Dunhide:no\u003B \u0009mso\u002Dstyle\u002Dqformat:yes\u003B \u0009mso\u002Dstyle\u002Dparent:\u0022\u0022\u003B \u0009margin:0in\u003B \u0009margin\u002Dbottom:.0001pt\u003B \u0009mso\u002Dpagination:widow\u002Dorphan\u003B \u0009font\u002Dsize:12.0pt\u003B \u0009font\u002Dfamily:\u0022Times New Roman\u0022\u003B \u0009mso\u002Dfareast\u002Dfont\u002Dfamily:\u0022Times New Roman\u0022\u003B} .MsoChpDefault \u0009{mso\u002Dstyle\u002Dtype:export\u002Donly\u003B \u0009mso\u002Ddefault\u002Dprops:yes\u003B \u0009font\u002Dsize:10.0pt\u003B \u0009mso\u002Dansi\u002Dfont\u002Dsize:10.0pt\u003B \u0009mso\u002Dbidi\u002Dfont\u002Dsize:10.0pt\u003B} @page WordSection1 \u0009{size:8.5in 11.0in\u003B \u0009margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in\u003B \u0009mso\u002Dheader\u002Dmargin:.5in\u003B \u0009mso\u002Dfooter\u002Dmargin:.5in\u003B \u0009mso\u002Dpaper\u002Dsource:0\u003B} div.WordSection1 \u0009{page:WordSection1\u003B} \u002D\u002D\u0026gt\u003B\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EBiologist Zeb Hogan is getting a close\u002Dup look at one of the world\u0027s largest freshwater fishes: the Chinese sturgeon. \u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe sturgeons can grow up to 16 feet or 5 meters long and weigh almost 1,000 pounds.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EHOGAN: It\u0027s a big fish ... strong ... tail free ... can really whip around.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe Chinese sturgeon may be powerful, but this giant species is also in big trouble.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EIts home, the Yangtze River in China, Asia\u0027s longest river, is increasingly threatened by heavy boat traffic and pollution.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EHogan is leading the National Geographic Society\u0027s Megafishes Project, a three\u002Dyear study to document the status of the 20 or so species of giant fish found in rivers and lakes around the world. \u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EMore than a fifth of the world\u0027s known freshwater fish species have become extinct or gravely threatened in recent years.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EMegafishes are often the first ones to suffer from overfishing or habitat loss.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EToday there may be less than 1,000 adult sturgeons left in the Yangtze River.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe construction of the Ghezouba Dam in the early 1980s blocked the migration route to the spawning grounds of the sturgeon.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe new Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, will present another threat to these giant fish.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EHOGAN (at Dam): From the fish\u0027s perspective, nothing worse than a dam ... no spawning ground left for the sturgeon.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EEach year at least 10 sturgeons are also killed after being hit by boat propellers.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EResearchers like Wei Qiwei of the Yangtze River Fisheries Institute are locked in a race against time to save the giant fish.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EHere at a hatchery outside Jingzhou, Wei and his colleagues are running a breeding program to enhance the sturgeon stock.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EWEI AND HOGAN: 1/2 million larvae producing fingerlings.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EResearchers may yet save the Chinese sturgeon, but for an even larger Yangtze giant, the Chinese paddlefish, it may be too late. \u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EIn late 2002, Dr. Wei and his team attempted to rehabilitate one of the last paddlefishes captured in the wild.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EIt had been injured by a boat, and died in captivity less than 30 days after its capture.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe paddlefish can reportedly grow up to 23 feet or 7 meters long and weigh more than half a ton.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EBut no paddlefish has been seen since 2003.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EWei believes there may still be a dozen paddlefish in the Yangtze, perhaps hiding in caves and holes in the upper parts of the river.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EWEI: No fish (yet), but we use a fish finder to find what could be a Chinese paddlefish. We found some signals.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EHis 60\u002Dfoot research vessel is equipped with a tank and a crane ready to rescue any giant fish that he might find.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EIf the search fails, this may be the closest we\u0027ll ever get to see the Chinese paddlefish again.\u005C\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u005C\u003C/p\u003E",

    "description":"\u003Cp\u003ESeptember 11, 2007—Join biologist Zeb Hogan of the National Geographic Society\u0027s Megafishes Project as he explores the threats facing the giant Chinese sturgeon and the efforts underway to save it.\u003C/p\u003E",
    
    "credit":"Video by S. Lovgren\u003B some video from Wei Qiwei, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Inst.",
    

    
    
    
    "still":"/exposure/core_media/ngphoto/image/47360_0_610x343.jpg",
    
    
    

    
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    "url":"http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/animals-news/mega-fish-vin/",

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