The number of Yangtze finless porpoises has increased due to China’s conservation measures, including fishing bans.
According to China Daily, the number of Yangtze finless porpoises will increase to 1,426 by 2025. This figure represents an increase of 177 head in three years.
In 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs established a fishing ban in the Yangtze River. Habitat loss due to human activities has reduced the species’ numbers, but recent recovery efforts have been successful.
China has established a network of finless porpoise protected areas to protect the finless porpoise. Conservationists raise porpoises there to replenish wild populations. Researchers at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, also established a sperm bank to improve reproductive success.
The Yangtze finless porpoise is an important species in the Yangtze River and is vital to biodiversity.
As more finless porpoises return to the water, other fish are doing better than before the fishing ban. Other protected species, such as the Chinese white shark, have also seen their numbers increase after disappearing for more than 20 years.
However, the researchers stress that such large-scale habitat restoration efforts take time, and that fragmented habitats still require more attention.
“As China advances fishing bans and ecosystem restoration projects, aquatic life in the Yangtze River is expected to continue to gradually recover over the next five years,” China Daily reported, Gui Jianfang, an expert in charge of assessing the fishing ban, said.
This encouraging news from China reflects recent conservation successes elsewhere. Other communities have witnessed surprising comebacks of nearly extinct species and impressive population growth as a result of their commitment to biodiversity conservation and habitat restoration.
Although sometimes controversial, fishing bans, such as those in the Yangtze River, are important steps to protect marine life and promote sustainable fishing practices.
These measures protect vulnerable species from overfishing, help them continue to be an important part of local ecosystems, and allow fish stocks to recover. The work also benefits communities whose livelihoods rely on fishing.
In an abstract published in the journal Science, the researchers wrote of the Yangtze River fishing ban: “In addition to actions targeted at improving water quality, restoring hydrology and riparian habitat, and reducing vessel traffic, removing fishing pressure may be key to recovery.”
Xiong Fangyuan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said the improvement in finless porpoise numbers “raises hope that in an era of global biodiversity decline, ambitious political decisions to support large-scale restoration efforts can help reverse past ecosystem damage and lead to a brighter future,” according to The Guardian.
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