2026, researchers found traces of the Chinese bahaba in western Hong Kong waters, according to a Lingnan University press release dated July 23. Sometimes the biggest news can come from the smallest clues. The release calls it the first scientific discovery of this fish in the city in over a decade. The fish itself was not caught. The evidence came from DNA left behind in seawater.
With this tool, conservation groups can track the movement of released fish without having to catch them. Because researchers can verify a species ’ presence without having to catch or disturb it, water sampling is a less invasive method. Because the detections coincide with the hatchery release, the findings do not show that a wild population has survived; the DNA may well have come from released juveniles.
The Chinese bahaba is a large fish found off the Chinese coast. In the 20th century, it was abundant around Tai O in Hong Kong, where local people called it the “Tai O fish. The species is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and as a first-class protected wild animal in China. That demand led to intense overfishing and a dramatic population decline in the wild. Ip explained that the fish is so rare that it is very unlikely to be encountered in regular surveys. Such surveys usually involve trawling or capture, and require skilled staff and a lot of money. They can also harm seabed habitats and put non-target species at risk. It could also help biodiversity monitoring in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. A trace of DNA tells you a fish has been there, but not how many. Prof.
It can grow up to two meters in length and is often called the “Panda of the Sea”. The Lingnan release said the fish’s swim bladder has value as medicine. The team says the tool could help groups evaluate the effectiveness of juvenile release programs. The method can help with long-term monitoring of the bahaba in the Pearl River Estuary and adjacent waters, the team says. Ip said the bahaba has not been recorded in Hong Kong waters for over a decade.
The test can identify the species without confusing it with other fish, and the release said lab tests and computer analysis confirmed this. Fish release DNA in tiny bits of mucus and waste as they swim. Scientists call this environmental DNA, or eDNA. Lingnan University’s Division of Science jointly developed an eDNA test for the Chinese bahaba using mitochondrial genome sequences. The work was led by Prof. Jack Ip Chi-ho of Lingnan University and Prof. Junjie Wang of South China Normal University. The study was supported by the Marine Ecology Enhancement Fund of the Airport Authority Hong Kong and two other research projects.
