Finless porpoises bred in captivity at a research facility in Wuhan, central China's Huibei province. [File photo: Xinhua/Cheng Min]

After long-term scientific research, Chinese authorities have settled on the habitat for wintering Yangtze finless porpoises in Poyang Lake, east China's Jiangxi Province, to better protect this endangered species.

The new-found watery habitat of Yangtze finless porpoises is located in Poyang Lake, which is home to half of the endangered species' population. The habitat's size reaches some 1,400 hectares, with a depth of more than 30 meters.

Finless porpoises can only be found in China's longest river - the Yangtze River, as well as Dongting and Poyang lakes, which flow into the waterway.

The porpoises have become an endangered species due to years of pollution, over-exploitation and busy waterway navigation.

Based on a report released by the Ministry of Agriculture, the porpoise population has decreased to about 1,000. Experts have warned that the species could die out within a decade if the trend is not reversed.

Zhao Zhongqing, an official of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the research team has built a data base to record and track down the information of the 98 caught porpoises by carrying out a three-year scientific investigation in the Poyang Lake.

Based on the investigation results, researchers found the Poyang Lake water area between Duchang and Yongxiu counties is a suitable and desirable habitat for finless porpoises to live during the winter, as the area has abundant fish resources and is not located on the main channel of the Yangtze River.

A researcher of the Institute of Hydrobiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences told the press that the institute is willing to make a joint effort with the Agricultural Department of Jiangxi Province to set up a new protection organization for finless porpoises.

The new protection organization aims to carry out further researches of the endangered species, monitor the conditions of existing finless porpoises, and rescue the endangered finless porpoises. (CRI English)