Another rare Chinese sturgeon has died at Ocean Park, the third of the 'national treasures' to die at the park since June.
Announcing the death of the fish yesterday, the park said two of the remaining seven sturgeon at the park were also sick.
Suzanne Gendron, Ocean Park's executive director of zoological operations and education, said staff realised the fish - which was among the first batch of sturgeon sent to Hong Kong as gifts from the mainland last year - had begun losing its appetite as early as August.
A wound was found on the fish early last month and it was treated with antibiotics, Ms Gendron said. Its health suddenly worsened on Thursday and it died on Friday.
She said an injury was found in the fish's head and there was blood clotting.
Initial investigations indicated several factors could have been involved in its death, including its reaction to salination - the process by which its environment was changed from fresh water to salt water.
The sturgeon, which spends part of its life cycle in seawater and part in fresh water, arrived in Hong Kong in fresh water. They were a gift from Beijing to mark China's staging of the Olympics.