The inaugural Finless Porpoise Care Month was launched in Wuhan on June 5. (Credit: IHB) 

The inaugural Finless Porpoise Care Month was launched in Wuhan on June 5 by the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Wuhan Baiji Conservation Foundation (WBCF). Over 100 people from local authorities, schools and media attended the ceremony.   

The Yangtze finless porpoise is the flagship species of the Yangtze River ecosystem. Wuhan, the largest city in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, plays important role in promoting high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.    

In October 2020, the local government of Wuhan issued a plan to help build up a better environment in the Wuhan section of the Yangtze to support the finless porpoises. Ten major measures were proposed to improve the overall ecological environment of this section.       

“Among the ten reserves that have been built to conserve the Yangtze finless porpoises, three are in Hubei”, said Dr. HAO Yujiang, associate professor of IHB and executive vice secretary general of WBCF.    

Besides, the Wuhan-based IHB is also the center for the reproduction and conservation of the Yangtze finless porpoises. The conservation reserves and centers play significant role in protecting the endangered species.    

The fundamental measures to make the city a suitable habitat for the porpoises are to improve the overall ecological environment and restore the natural habitat for the porpoise, according to Hao.    

IHB has conducted a series of research and activities to implement the plan. Researchers investigated the porpoises along the Wuhan section of the Yangtze, identified key habitats for the porpoises, used acoustic and video monitoring in key waters of Baishazhou and Tianxingzhou - the uppermost river of Wuhan section of the Yangtze and the water area where the Yangtze meets the Han River.    

June is the Finless Porpoise Care Month because “it is the breeding season for the Yangtze finless porpoises and the time when mother and baby porpoises need the most care from human”, said WANG Kexiong, professor of IHB and secretary general of WBCF.   

As part of the plan, the WBCF will launch and organize a sequence of activities to raise the public awareness of protecting the species.  

WANG Kexiong, professor of IHB and secretary general of WBCF, introduces the inaugural Finless Porpoise Care Month. (Credit: IHB) 

The inaugural Finless Porpoise Care Month was launched in Wuhan on June 5. (Credit: IHB)