Steps taken to protect Poyang's porpoises

It was the seventh finless porpoise found dead in the Poyang Lake area this year.

Zhou Wei, a science writer, was quoted by Beijing News as saying, "The reduction of water compresses the living space of the finless porpoises and forces them to swim to the deep water of the main channel of the lake.

"It will no doubt increase the risk of the finless porpoises hitting propellers (of boats) as their lives overlap with human activities. Extremely dry weather will also affect the reproduction of fish in the following year, which may result in a food shortage for the porpoises."

He added that the species gives birth in the spring and autumn, so now is a critical period for the porpoises to feed newborns. But the parents may not be able to provide a relatively safe habitat for the newborns, as the water level has fallen dramatically.

Wang Liang, who works for the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Jiangxi, said that the province has released a total of 200 million fish, shrimp and crabs into the waters for five consecutive years to enrich the food supply and maintain the local aquatic population.

Wang said that the province established a 6,800-hectare nature reserve in Poyang Lake, where the building of illegal docks has been severely punished and sewage has been treated effectively.

"More than 2,000 volunteers have been attracted by our finless porpoise protection work to set up 203 patrol teams to safeguard and rescue the species," he added.