First ever population boost for Yangtze finless porpoise

According to the latest survey from China, its population of finless porpoises increased by nearly a quarter in just five years. Numbers went up from 1,012 to 1,249, proving that efforts to save the world’s only freshwater porpoise from extinction are making a real difference.

The 2022 survey found 595 individuals in the main stream of Yangtze river, along with 492 in Poyang Lake (China’s largest freshwater lake) and 162 in Dongting Lake.

“It’s extraordinary to finally see porpoise numbers increasing after so many years of decline,” says Lunyan Lu, CEO of WWF-China. “There’s still work to be done to ensure the long-term survival of this iconic species, but there is real hope for the first time in decades.”

Finless porpoise populations have plummeted due to a range of threats, including pollution, sand mining, habitat loss and accidental entanglement in fishing nets.

But WWF has been working with the Chinese government and other partners to protect these cetaceans and their habitat – including by monitoring the population, relocating individual porpoises to safer areas, and working with local people to end harmful fishing practices.

“Yangtze finless porpoises are an indicator of the health of the river,” explains Lu. “This significant increase shows they’re thriving and that the Yangtze is too. This is critical since 400 million people and extraordinary biodiversity depend on the health of the world’s third longest river.

“If the porpoises can rebound in one of the most densely populated and economically important river basins in the world, it shows we can restore ecosystems and halt species loss around the world.”

“Incredible results like these for the Yangtze finless porpoise remind us that there is still hope for the world’s other five remaining species of river dolphins – all of which are threatened with extinction,” adds Daphne Willems, who leads WWF’s work on river dolphins.

“By taking steps to protect and restore their rivers and reduce threats like illegal fishing, we can help these populations – and their rivers – to thrive.”

BANNER IMAGE © ALAMY