Number of Yangtze River Finless Porpoise Drops with an Annual Decrease of 6.4%

The number of Yangtze River finless porpoise drops with an annual decrease of 6.4% on average. If effective protective measures for Yangtze River finless porpoise could not be carried out in time, it will be another Yangtze River Dolphin – it might disappear on the Earth 10-15 years later in the near future.

Wang Ding, a worldly famous expert in the field of finless porpoise protection and researcher of Chinese Academy of Science. He said that he is very worried about the survival of Yangtze River finless porpoise in an interview.

Sex Ratio of Yangtze River Finless Porpoise in Tianezhou Reserve is Balanced

Researchers protected and cultivated 5 Yangtze River finless porpoise at Tianezhou Reserve in early 90th. And those five Yangtze River finless porpoise has enriched their family to 30 members. Fortunately, the sex ratio of Yangtze River finless porpoise in the reserve has reverted to 1:1.

The balanced sex ratio is a guarantee for the population growth of Yangtze River finless porpoise. Scientists found that the pregnancy rate reaches 70 percent among the adult female Yangtze River finless porpoises in the reserve recent years. There are 3-5 Yangtze River finless porpoises were given birth every year.

Number of Yangtze River Finless Porpoise Drops Year by Year

Researchers found that the number of Yangtze River finless porpoise drops with an annual decrease of 6.4% on average according to the researches, inspections and model experiments in the past 30 years.

The number of Yangtze River finless porpoise was more than 2700 in 1991. The number of Yangtze River finless porpoise was less than 1800 in 2006. Its number might be only about 1000 now. Wang Ding said that Yangtze River finless porpoise might be extinct 15 years later.

Wang Ding holds that the main threatens for the survival and reproduction of Yangtze River finless porpoise are overfishing, water pollution, shipping, construction of water locks and dams. Tianezhou Reserve for Yangtze River Finless Porpoise is also facing great challenges: water pollution and fishing. If the above two problems couldn't be solved in time, the Yangtze River finless porpoises in the reserve will also disappear in the near future.