A rare large Chinese sturgeon has been caught by a fisherman in China's largest freshwater lake Poyang Lake. [Video clip]

A rare large Chinese sturgeon has been caught by a fisherman in China's largest freshwater lake Poyang Lake, east China's Jiangxi Province, local fishery authorities said Wednesday.

The sturgeon which measures 1.3 meters and weighs about 13.5 kilograms(29.8 pounds) is the largest Chinese sturgeon ever discovered in the lake, according to the fishery bureau of the Poyang County.

Mao Qilong caught the sturgeon and reported it to the bureau on Sunday.

It was then released to the lake on the same day, the bureau said.

Believed to have lived at the same time as dinosaurs, the Chinese sturgeon, has existed for more than 140 million years. The fish, nicknamed aquatic pandas, is listed as a wild creature under top national protection.