Wuhan, China – Scientists in China are racing to safeguard the future of the Yangtze finless porpoise and Chinese sturgeon, two critically endangered species native to the country’s longest river, through intensive breeding andโ release programs. The efforts come as the โYangtze River, a vital waterway and economic artery, faces ongoing threats from pollution and heavy traffic.
Once plummeting in numbers, the finless porpoiseโ population-a โคkey indicatorโ of the โriver’s overall health-hasโค begun a slow recovery thanks to sweeping conservationโ measures. From over 2,500 in โthe 1990s, the population dwindled to just 1,012 in 2017. Today,โ numbers are around โ1,300. These gains are largely attributed to a landmark 10-year fishing ban enacted โin 2021, alongside factory relocations and stricter regulations on industrial runoff.โค
The urgency of these programs stems from a recent history of species loss in the Yangtze. Veteran researcher Wang Ding, who led a 2006 search for the baiji โdolphin, recalls the โฃgrim outcome: despiteโ an โคextensive nine-day search, no Baiji dolphins โขwere found, leading to โคtheir declaration of โคfunctional extinction. “We โfeared โthat if thisโ animal cannot survive in the Yangtze, the other species will, like dominoes, โdisappear one by one from the river,” Wang said.
Currently, โคa dozen Yangtze finless porpoises are being studied โฃand bred at the Instituteโ of Hydrobiology in Wuhan. Simultaneously, scientists are artificially breeding and releasingโฃ thousands of Chinese sturgeonโ into the river, hoping to rebuild the wild populationโฃ of this ancient fish.
Despite the โprogress, researchers are advocating for continuedโ andโ expanded protections, including stricter shipping regulations and a potential extension of the current 10-yearโ fishing ban. The Yangtze River, handling over 4โ billion metric tons (4.4 โคbillion U.S.tons) of cargo in 2024 alone,remains a busy waterway,and balancing economic activity wiht ecological preservation is โขa continuing challenge.