The Yangtze finless porpoise scientific research started again after five years, and 21 finless porpoises were found dead this year.

　　On October 28th, an adult Yangtze finless porpoise was found dead on the beach near Jishan Mountain in duchang county, Jiangxi Province. According to the statistics of the public welfare organization for the protection of finless porpoises, this is the 21st Yangtze finless porpoise that died this year. In recent years, the number of Yangtze finless porpoises has been decreasing. In May this year, the Yangtze finless porpoise officially became a national first-class protected animal. Beijing Youth Daily reporter was informed yesterday that in order to better protect this "water spirit", the Yangtze finless porpoise ecological scientific expedition will officially set sail in November, which is the third Yangtze finless porpoise scientific expedition conducted in China after a lapse of five years.

　　The third Yangtze finless porpoise scientific research will be launched.

　　Yangtze finless porpoise is the only freshwater finless porpoise in the world. This round-headed, smiling creature has lived on earth for 25 million years. According to the statistics of scientific research in 2012, the population of Yangtze finless porpoise is about 1045, which is a veritable "giant panda in water".

　　In order to accurately grasp the population dynamics of the Yangtze finless porpoise and provide more basic technical information for the protection of the Yangtze finless porpoise, the "2017 Yangtze finless porpoise ecological scientific investigation" led by the Ministry of Agriculture will be launched in November.

　　A person in charge of the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences told the reporter of Beiqing Daily that the investigation will last for about 40 days, covering the main stream of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River from Yichang to Shanghai, Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake and the main tributaries of the Weihe River. On November 10th, two scientific research vessels will set sail from Wuhan, passing through Wuhan — Yichang — Wuhan — Shanghai — Wuhan, the whole journey is about 3400 kilometers. In addition to the main stream inspection, the expedition team will also inspect Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake, the main habitats of finless porpoises. About 30 scientific researchers participated in the investigation, which were divided into visual group, acoustic group and environmental monitoring group.

　　According to the person in charge, this expedition referred to the investigation plans in 2006 and 2012, and mainly used visual observation and acoustic monitoring to investigate the finless porpoise. Different from previous years, this investigation will make an in-depth investigation of the finless porpoise habitat, including water quality, surrounding environment, sailing ships and fishing activities, and take photos of it with drones. In addition, the scope of this expedition will be wider. In addition to two scientific research vessels in the main stream, some tributaries will also be inspected by speedboats.

　　21 finless porpoises have been found dead this year.

　　The finless porpoise has lived in the Yangtze River basin for 25 million years. However, it was not until 2006 that people discovered that this beautiful creature called "smiling angel" was accelerating to leave us. In 2006, an international investigation team composed of scientists from seven countries, including China, the United States, Britain, Switzerland, Japan, Germany and India, conducted a large-scale investigation on freshwater dolphins in the Yangtze River, and conducted a comprehensive investigation on the living conditions of finless porpoises.

　　After a 39-day and 3,400-kilometer arduous search by experts from seven countries, the expedition team found no trace of baiji. In 2007, the British academic journal "The Royal Society’s Biological Letterhead" published the report of "2006 Yangtze finless porpoise investigation" by scientists from seven countries, officially announcing the functional extinction of baiji. The living conditions of finless porpoises are also not optimistic. Only 700 to 900 finless porpoises have been found in the 1667-kilometer section of the main stream from Yichang to Shanghai. Scientists estimate that with the populations of Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake, the Yangtze finless porpoise population is about 1,800, with an annual decline rate of 6.4%.

　　In 2012, in order to find out the living conditions of freshwater dolphins in the Yangtze River again, the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Wuhan Baiji Dolphin Conservation Foundation conducted another investigation on the Yangtze River dolphins. After 44 days of investigation, no baiji was observed, and a total of 380 Yangtze finless porpoises were found visually. Compared with 851 in 2006, the population of finless porpoises decreased obviously. The investigation team estimated that the Yangtze finless porpoise population was about 1,045, including about 450 in Poyang Lake, about 90 in Dongting Lake and about 505 in the main stream of the Yangtze River, with an annual decline rate of 13.7% more than twice that before 2006.

　　In recent years, people have paid more and more attention to the protection of finless porpoises. Zhang Kunyu, a finless porpoise protection volunteer, told Beiqing Daily that volunteers would register every dead finless porpoise found. Since the first dead finless porpoise was found in yugan county, Shangrao City in February 2017, 21 finless porpoises have died. "If we register one end, there will definitely be omissions, and the actual situation may be more than this number." Zhang Kunyu said.

　　On October 28th, a location photographer found a dead adult finless porpoise on the beach while collecting wind at Xiaba Beach, Jishan, duchang county, with its body moderately decomposed. Wuhan Institute of Aquatic Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences transported the dead finless porpoise away to further analyze the cause of death.

　　Volunteers patrol more than 300 days a year.

　　There is also a group of people guarding this group of "water elves". He Shouxiu is a volunteer of Yueyang Dongdongting Ecological Protection Association, who calls himself "the guardian of Dongting".

　　The main threat of Yangtze finless porpoise comes from illegal fishing. "In the past, a net mouth of a fishing net could be inserted into four fingers. Now, no chopsticks can be inserted, and even small fish can’t escape." Zhang Kunyu told the reporter of Beiqing Daily that this kind of fishing method made the fishery resources in the Yangtze River basin seriously scarce and indirectly affected the survival of finless porpoises.

　　In addition, the use of poisonous fish, fried fish, electric fishing, ecstasy, rolling hooks and other fishing tools used in illegal fishing will directly harm the finless porpoise. "I have seen a dead finless porpoise with more than a dozen hooks, which is very cruel." He Shouxiu said.

　　The bigger threat comes from the deterioration of habitat. "The endangered finless porpoise is different from the Tibetan antelope. The endangered Tibetan antelope is mainly due to poaching. When the state strengthens the punishment for poaching, the number of Tibetan antelopes will rise rapidly. The finless porpoise is different. Their endangered is due to the destruction of the entire habitat." He Shouxiu told the reporter of Beiqing Daily that sand digging, shipping and water pollution would damage the habitat of finless porpoises and threaten their survival.

　　"365 days a year, we have more than 300 days on patrol." He Shouxiu told the reporter of Beiqing Daily that once illegal fishing was discovered, it would be reported to the local fishery administration, which would handle it. In order to better patrol, volunteers also set up a protection station in Dongdongting area to achieve all-round protection 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

　　In 2015, the first protection station was established in Bianshan Island. According to the volunteers’ observation, there is a stable and active finless porpoise population near Bianshan Island, and illegal fishing in Bianshan Island is basically banned because of their 24-hour round-the-clock guarding. However, the finless porpoise moves with the fish. In order to better protect it, at the end of 2016, the association purchased a large ship and established a mobile finless porpoise protection station, which will dynamically protect them with the movement of the finless porpoise. "Next, we will go to Coal Bay, which is remote, with weak law enforcement and serious illegal fishing."

　　Faithful wife. Thanks to the efforts of volunteers, the number of finless porpoises in Dongting Lake has increased significantly. The results of scientific research in 2012 showed that the number of Yangtze finless porpoises in Dongting Lake basin was around 90. According to the observation of the guardian of Dongting Lake, the number of finless porpoises in Dongting Lake basin is about 120 at present. "This is a very rare result. The finless porpoise only gives birth to one baby a year, and the female finless porpoise will take care of the finless porpoise for another year, so it is very difficult to keep the number stable."

　　Text/trainee reporter Zhang Yue Meng