JIAMUSI, Heilongjiang - More than 100 million fish were released in rivers in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province Saturday in an effort to restore fishery resources and improve the ecological environment.

The project was launched by the Ministry of Agriculture in coordination with the provincial government in the city of Jiamusi.

Nearly half of the fish, which include sturgeon, beluga, grass carp and chub, were released in the Songhuajiang River, the largest tributary of the Sino-Russian border river, the Heilongjiang River, said Zhang Hongjun, a researcher with the Heilongjiang Provincial Fishery Bureau.

Other fish were released simultaneously in other rivers in a total of 50 counties.

"The move will help increase fishery resources, restore the ecological environment and enrich the biodiversity of these rivers," Zhang said.

In July last year, the MOA joined hands with the governments of Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces to release 1.3 billion fish in the Yangtze River, where fishery resources have dwindled following a severe drought.