How is the Yangtze finless porpoise protected ex situ？
The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake connected with them are the only homes of the Yangtze finless porpoise, an endemic species in China. In the 1990s, about 3,000 Yangtze finless porpoises lived here. With the over-exploitation and utilization of the golden waterway of the Yangtze River, the ecological environment of the Yangtze River has been increasingly damaged, and the fish resources are decreasing, which means that the homes on which the Yangtze finless porpoise depends have been destroyed and the bait resources are seriously in short supply.
The Yangtze River can’t hold not only the baiji, the white sturgeon and the Chinese sturgeon, but also the Yangtze finless porpoise. We can’t let the Yangtze finless porpoises sit still, we must find new homes for them, and we must find enough bait for them.
In 1986, the first International Symposium on the Biology and Species Protection of Freshwater Dolphins was held in Wuhan. Scientists in China took the lead in putting forward three measures to protect Yangtze finless porpoises, one of the most important measures is to immediately carry out ex situ conservation of Yangtze finless porpoises, that is, to move some Yangtze finless porpoises out of the Yangtze River to safer natural waters than the Yangtze River, and to implement species conservation and protection. When the environment of the Yangtze River becomes better in the future, the descendants of these Yangtze finless porpoises will be moved back to the Yangtze River, so that the Yangtze finless porpoises can stay in the Yangtze River forever.
After a long period of exploration, failure and persistence, scientists established the ex-situ conservation theory of Yangtze finless porpoise, and formed a complete ex-situ conservation technology system, including the site selection of provenance and ex-situ waters, population health and genetic management, and the technology of restoring the natural population of the Yangtze River.
After years of investigation and demonstration, it is determined that the old road of Swan Island in Hubei Province is suitable for ex-situ conservation of finless porpoises. In 1990, the first batch of five Yangtze finless porpoises moved from the main stream of the Yangtze River to Swan Island. The results of subsequent monitoring and research show that they are completely adapted to the old course of Swan Island and can reproduce naturally. In 1992, Hubei Yangtze River Swan Island Baiji Dolphin National Nature Reserve was successfully established.
By 2021, there will be about 100 Yangtze finless porpoises in the ex-situ nature reserve, and new ex-situ nature reserves of Yangtze finless porpoises will be built in Hubei, Hunan and Anhui, led by Hubei Swan Island Baiju National Nature Reserve. At the same time, Hubei Yangtze River Swan Island Baiji Dolphin National Nature Reserve has also exported six Yangtze finless porpoises to these newly-built ex situ nature reserves.
As an important technical support for ex situ nature conservation, the Yangtze finless porpoise breeding and protection in artificial environment has also achieved a series of successes. So far, five Yangtze finless porpoises have been successfully bred in Wuhan Baiju Dolphin Museum and Tianezhou artificial cage, and the second generation of breeding has also been successful.
Ex situ nature conservation is not the ultimate goal of Yangtze finless porpoise protection, but the ultimate vision of ex situ nature conservation is the restoration and restoration of natural habitat, the return of wild species to nature and the rejuvenation of natural populations. At present, the Yangtze River Conservation is rapidly restoring the natural habitat of the Yangtze finless porpoise, and the 10-year ban on fishing has provided a golden opportunity for the restoration of food and resources of the Yangtze finless porpoise.
The Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hubei Yangtze River Swan Island Baiji Dolphin National Nature Reserve, Hubei Xinluo Section Nature Reserve and other units are working together to carry out the experiment of wild Yangtze finless porpoise and its gradual return to natural waters. The ex-situ nature conservation has been successful, avoiding the risk of extinction of Yangtze finless porpoise species and laying a solid foundation for the Yangtze finless porpoise’s return to the Yangtze River and the two lakes. China scientists’ original contribution condensed into "China experience", which was widely recognized by international academic circles, and was called "demonstration" for the successful protection of small cetaceans.
