As Poyang Lake enters its low-water period, ecological protection officers in east China’s Jiangxi Province are taking crucial steps to safeguard the endangered Yangtze finless porpoises. The Poyang Lake, the country’s largest freshwater lake, is home to approximately 492 of these rare mammals, representing a significant portion of the total population.
On Thursday, the Poyang Lake Aquatic Life Protection Center in Yugan County released 18,000 live bait fish, including four major Chinese carp and crucian carp, into areas where the finless porpoises gather. “We released about 300 kilograms of 10-centimeter-long small fish, which are the finless porpoises’ favorite food,” explained Wan Shengben, office director of the Yugan County Poyang Lake Wetland Ecological Protection Center. “We will replenish water and relocate the finless porpoises according to the subsequent hydrological situation to ensure that the animals will survive the winter safely.”
The Yangtze finless porpoises are distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin, including Poyang Lake, Dongting Lake, and the Yangtze’s mainstream. Listed as a wild animal under national first-class protection, these porpoises are vital indicators of the Yangtze ecosystem’s health due to their sensitivity to environmental changes.
A 2022 scientific investigation revealed that the population of the Yangtze finless porpoises had rebounded to 1,249 individuals. However, this autumn, Poyang Lake entered the dry season earlier than usual, with water levels hovering around 8 meters after dropping below the extremely dry water level line on October 9. This significant decrease has greatly reduced the habitat space for the finless porpoises.
Preliminary research indicates that during the dry season, the habitat of these endangered animals is gradually extending towards the waterways in the north and south and the tributaries of the Yangtze River, such as the Xinjiang River and Ganjiang River. Conservation efforts aim to monitor these movements and provide support to ensure the porpoises’ survival through the winter months.
