The finless porpoise, also known as the Yangtze River porpoise, is a species of porpoise that are decreasing rapidly and becoming critically endangered. In the past decade, a number of porpoises have died and experts are worried about the future. Some causes of their death are similar to the Baiji’s, including loss of food sources and boat collisions.
The Finless Porpoise
The Indo-Pacific finless porpoise is one of the Seven Species of Porpoises in the world. The population has been seen primarily around the Korean Peninsula, in Yellow and East China Seas. Their diet consists mostly of fish and crustaceans and their main form of seafood consumption is from the Yaolan Bay. During the 1990–1995 period, the Yangtze River porpoise faced a huge strain of malnutrion and were on their way to extinction. However, conservationists helped the porpoise population to rebound. In 2018, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) assumed management of the Yangtze River porpoise population. And in 2019, China opened their first shrimp hatchery to tap into new markets abroad. As a result of this and urban development, these creatures have lost their natural habitat and are increasingly endangered.
Why are Finless Porpoises disappearing?
Finless porpoises are on the verge of extinction because their once plentiful food supply is being depleted by human interference. Overfishing combined with other factors such as pollution and ship movement are factors as well. Though porpoises are at a higher risk of being entangled by nets, there has been a low reported number of entanglements in Hong Kong’s inshore fisheries. Fishers are required to provide evidence of accidental capture, which can be difficult to prove. Thus a law such as the Wild Animal Protection Ordinance may lead fishermen to underreport. If things continue this way, the disappearance of the finless porpoise in Hong Kong could have devastating consequences for marine life.
What can we do to help them?
There are two main threats facing the Yangtze River porpoise, both of which are caused by human activities. The first threat is fishing. Fishermen catch these animals by netting the fish and selling them to aquaculture farms. For this reason, they are often hunted dangerously by local governments. The Yangtze River porpoise is not the only member of their species to decline. Between 2018 and 2019, their population declined by 40%. When the population is that low, it’s likely that there aren’t enough young animals ready to replace them. This inevitably impacts their survival. The second threat is pollution. The Yangtze River attempts to dump all of its unwanted waste into the ocean. River pollution comes in many forms. Excess nutrients from agricultural runoff, untreated wastewater runoff from wastewater treatment plants, and runoff from fertilizer used in the coastal areas are all factors in the pollution. What can be done to improve the situation? The answers are biodiversity and ocean conservation. The Yangtze River has 1,040 finless porpoises remaining. The government needs to focus on preserving the habitat in the lakes and conserving species diversity. Doing so will not only help to increase biodiversity, but also help people learn more about nature. Moreover, it will help safeguard flood control in the area. The annual decline in population is 13 percent, which means these animals will become extinct within the next 10 years if there are no proactive conservation actions taken. There is still a long way to go before the River Porpoise reach their natural habitat and live in peace with their colleagues. Donations towards River Porpoise conservation can be made through various donations websites like World Wide Fund For Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund) or for more information on the Yangtze River porpoise, please visit the IFAW’s website.