More than 200 native rasbora (Rasbora paviana) and fighting fish (Betta splendens) were released last Sunday into Cau Do Canal in HCM City's Binh Thanh district, a tributary of the Sai Gon River.

Twenty students from universities in the city participated in releasing the native fish species. They also received some fish to raise at home.

The fish had been bred as part of a programme on "Breeding and releasing native fish into the wild," implemented by the non-profit organisation Wildlife At Risk (WAR).

The programme aims to re-populate native fish species and encourage locals to use native fish for aquariums.

Over the past year, more than 750 rasbora and fighting fish were released into tributaries of the Sai Gon River.-VNA