Rare Sightings Bring Hope: Finless Porpoise Population Surges in Yangtze River, Mother-Child Duos Spotted 9 Times in a Year
Finless Porpoise Population in Nanjing Yangtze River Reserve Sees Increase
The number of finless porpoises in the Nanjing section of the Yangtze River has increased to about 65, and the survey team has also observed mother and child porpoises nine times in one year.
According to Jiaohuidian News, on September 4, the Nanjing Municipal Greening and Gardening Bureau released the results of the 2023-2024 Nanjing Yangtze River Porpoise Provincial Nature Reserve biodiversity dynamics survey. The results showed that the porpoise population in the reserve is stable and on an upward trend.
In the past year, the survey team observed 336 finless porpoises and assessed the population to be about 65, an increase of 4.8% from the 62 in the 2022 baseline resource survey. The survey team also observed mother and child porpoises 9 times, indicating that the finless porpoise population in the reserve has good development potential.
Zhang Jun, director of the Nanjing Yangtze River Dolphin Provincial Nature Reserve Management Station, introduced that the survey period is one year, from the autumn of 2023 to the summer of 2024, covering the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, and the survey covers the entire reserve and nearby waters (including beaches). The survey content includes the natural environment and social environment in the reserve, the species composition, biological characteristics, resource status and temporal and spatial changes of Yangtze River dolphins and biological resources.
Protecting the finless porpoise is not only about protecting the individual, but also about restoring the overall ecological environment, so that the finless porpoise has a good resting and foraging environment. Liu Kai, a researcher at the Freshwater Fisheries Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, told reporters that the reserve is rich in aquatic biological resources. This dynamic survey recorded 59 species of zooplankton, 56 species of benthic animals, 47 species of fish, and 123 species of birds.
“As the only large city in the Yangtze River Basin where you can see Yangtze finless porpoises up close in the central section of the river, Nanjing can basically see them every day!” said Zhang Ruizhong, a first-level researcher at the Nanjing Greening and Gardening Bureau. In the spring, citizens can easily observe finless porpoises with their naked eyes at Nanjing Xiaguan Wharf from 9 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. Yangtze finless porpoises are distributed in clusters in Nanjing, mainly in the waters of Xinjizhou-Zimuzhou and Qianzhou.
The effectiveness of finless porpoise protection is inseparable from the efforts of many parties. In order to protect finless porpoises, Nanjing applies the comprehensive monitoring technology of “above-water-shoreline” for Yangtze River finless porpoises, establishes an on-site emergency rescue system for Yangtze River finless porpoises in the mainstream of the Yangtze River, and conducts research on the activity habits and habitat environment of Yangtze River finless porpoises.
“In the future, we will continue to conduct dynamic surveys on biodiversity in the protected area to lay a solid foundation for the scientific and effective protection of Yangtze finless porpoises and their habitats.” Zhang Ruizhong said that Nanjing will also continue to tell the story of Nanjing finless porpoise protection around the three major goals of becoming a pilot demonstration area for the protection and restoration of the Yangtze River’s ecological environment, a benchmark for smart management technology in aquatic animal reserves, and a Chinese model for harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
Xinhua Daily·Jiaohuidian reporter Liu Chun
Image courtesy of Nanjing Greening and Gardening Bureau