At the meeting of Hubei Scientific and Technological Reward & Reform of High-tech Industry Development, the “Ex-situ Conservation of Yangtze Finless Porpoises” which was successfully conducted by Institute of Hydrobiology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), with cooperation with Tian-e-zhou Baiji National Reserve was awarded the first prize of 2008 Hubei Scientific and Technological Award. On behalf of the project team, Prof. Ding WANG, principal investigator and researcher of IHB received the award.    

Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis) is a unique small cetacean found exclusively in the freshwater environment of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River including Dongting and Poyang Lake. Their population range is likely to have been reduced from 2700 to about 1800 from 1990s through the end of 2006, with an annual decrease rate of 5%, a critically endangered situation.    

Through 20 years’ exploration and practice, the project team established the technological system of ex-situ Conservation of Yangtze finless porpoises comprising monitoring technology of natural population, reproductive technology of small population and genetic management, habitat planning technology,nutrition preparation, technology of water quality monitoring andcure and prevention of diseases, managerial technology of raising population community, pregnancy monitoring technology and nursing technology during pregnancy and delivery etc. These technologies have been applied to the practice of ex-situ Conservation of Yangtze finless porpoises before 2006 and have achieved actual effects.    

The major application achievements include: 1. the first ex-situ conservation group of Yangtze finless porpoises which was established in natural conditions was built up in Tian-e-zhou Baiji National Reserve. By the end of 2007, this group has become an effective population consisting of more than 30 Yangtze finless porpoises and the only successful example of the carrying-out of ex-situ conservation of one cetacean species in the world; 2. Yangtze finless porpoises was first successfully reared and bred in captivity in the Dolphinarium of Yangtze River Dolphin at IHB, realizing multiple reproductions of Yangtze finless porpoises in captivity and thus become a pioneer in the reproduction of freshwater cetaceans in captivity in the world.    

Prof. Ding WANG said that the project team is right now cooperating with China Three Gorges Project Corporation (CTGPC) and national and provincial Yangtze River dolphin natural reserves in Hubei, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces. By the means of co-construction of science and research bases, and by popularizing and applying the ex-situ conservation technology of Yangtze finless porpoises, the project team is trying its best to establish more and larger ex-situ conservation groups of Yangtze finless porpoises in different types of natural water or in captivity in the least amount of time so as to accelerate the process of Yangtze finless porpoises conservation.