Rare “Yangtze Mermaids” released in nature reserve

WWF 23 Apr 11;

Shishou, China – Two finless porpoises were released into the Tian-e-zhou Oxbow nature reserve today, marking the first step in the conservation of this rare species. The Yangtze finless porpoise, also known as the “Yangtze Mermaid”, lives exclusively in the Yangtze River and its neighbouring rivers and lakes.

The two finless porpoises – one born in captivity in 2005 and the other injured in a severe snow storm in 2008 – will be tagged for intense monitoring and research by the Institute of Hydrobiology, the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) and Tian-e-Zhou Oxbow Nature Reserve, an area of wetland in the Yangtze basin near Shishou city and a sanctuary for the Yangtze river dolphin.

“After the release, we will keep monitoring the behaviour, acoustic status and health condition of the finless porpoises and acquiring their growth data, ultimately helping them adapt to the wild environment,” said Li Min Wang, Deputy Director of Conservation Operations at WWF-China.

Soft release
To prepare the finless porpoises for their eventual release into the wild, slated to be in a few months time, the pair have experienced a “soft release” into a 10,000m2 area of the nature reserve surrounded by a temporary fence. They will be trained in catching live fish, learn how to protect themselves against predators and live in a simulated wild Yangtze environment.

There were an estimated 1800 finless porpoise swimming in the Yangtze in 2006, a figure that has since declined at an average annual rate of 5% and has moved them from “endangered” to “critically endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
While this is the first time for such intense monitoring of captive-bred finless porpoises it’s hoped that it will pave the way for similar repopulation efforts in the future.

“If soft releases are proven to be successful, we will have a better chance to save the Yangtze finless porpoise and other freshwater dolphins worldwide which are under great threats at the moment too,” said Dr. Li Lifeng, Director of WWF International Freshwater Programme.

Yangtze finless porpoise conservation
The Yangtze finless porpoise is the only identified freshwater subspecies of Phocoenidae in the world. This small cetacean is only found in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and some of its adjacent rivers and lakes.

Since 1992, WWF, Tian-e-Zhou Oxbow Nature Reserve and the Chinese Academy of Science’s Institute of Hydrobiology in Hubei Province have carried out a series of conservation programs by leveraging all the beneficial conditions in the oxbow. Meanwhile, HSBC has offered a great deal of support to conservation projects in the area since 2002.

As of 2010, the population of finless porpoise in the nature reserve exceeded 30, with two to five calves born every year.