The first animal of this series is the Yangtze finless porpoise, a dolphin
living in fresh water in southern China in the Yangtze river. It is one of the
very few dolphins living in fresh water and the only species left in the
Yangtze river. Unfortunately, the porpoise is facing extinction.
What is it?
The Yangtze finless porpoise is a dolphin species living in the Yangtze River
in southern China. It is one of the very few dolphin species that live in
freshwater, and the only one that survived in the Yangtze river after the
Baiji Dolphin was declared functionally extinct in 2006. It characteristically
is about 2 meters long, has no fins -as the name suggests- and no beak. Its
mouth however is curved upwards like a smile, giving the Porpoise and cute and
friendly face. It feeds on small fish, crustaceans and molluscs. Sadly, the
Yangtze finless Porpoise is considered "critically endangered" as there are
only about 1000 of them left.
Why is it dying out?
The Yangtze finless porpoise is facing multiple dangers from all sides. All of
them, unfortunately, are human-made, as we make the waters they live in
extremely dangerous. The Yangtze river is their only natural habitat, making
it too dangerous there for the Porpoise, which is basically directly killing
them. The river is a major travelling and fishing as well as trading route and
therefore full of boats at all times.
Often Porpoises get injured or even killed by boats or their gear, especially fishing gear. Like so many other marine animals, Porpoises often get entangled in fishing nets and drown, as they can only hold their breath for up to 4 minutes. But even if they do not drown, the fishing itself is bad enough.
Overfishing to be precise, as the Porpoise needs a big supply of food that we fish away with no second thought, resulting in a lack of food for the Porpoise. Additionally, we pollute the river so much with all the boats on the river and the plastic we throw away, that they really suffer from that. Experts believe that, if no major action is taken, the Porpoise will be passed within the next century.
Often Porpoises get injured or even killed by boats or their gear, especially fishing gear. Like so many other marine animals, Porpoises often get entangled in fishing nets and drown, as they can only hold their breath for up to 4 minutes. But even if they do not drown, the fishing itself is bad enough.
Overfishing to be precise, as the Porpoise needs a big supply of food that we fish away with no second thought, resulting in a lack of food for the Porpoise. Additionally, we pollute the river so much with all the boats on the river and the plastic we throw away, that they really suffer from that. Experts believe that, if no major action is taken, the Porpoise will be passed within the next century.
How can I help?
I know all of that sounds like a situation that cannot be saved. However, we
can definitely make an effort to improve all of these very serious issues. The
main issues are overfishing, pollution and injuries due to boats or their
gear. Again, this sounds like you as an individual cannot make a difference,
especially if you do not live in China, but that is not true! Here are many
different things you could do to support the porpoises:
1) Overfishing is generally an important topic to keep in the back of your head when buying fish to eat because there are many things you can keep an eye on to buy the environmentally friendliest fish you can. The first and most obvious choice to make is where you buy your fish. Is it the Organic market or the really cheap supermarket from next door? Other questions to ask yourself are: Where in the world was the fish caught? Has it been transported a long way, emitting lots and lots of CO2 and do you have access to local fish? How was it caught?
This question might make little sense to some of you, but let me tell you this: really cheap fish is often caught with gigantic boats that drag massive nets behind them through the ocean, that not only catches the fish they want to catch, but also many other marine species that are often endangered. Or there are these farms underwater that breed the fish and then sell them. And obviously, the traditional way of fishing one fish at a time is the most sustainable. Especially if you fish them yourself. But many people do not have the opportunity to do so, so a good idea would be to look out for the MSC label. The MSC label is a label you can get on seafood in over 100 countries, certifying that the seafood you buy has been fished sustainably. You exactly what that means and what the standards are for the MSC sets, you can check them out on the website. I will link it below (1).
If you are interested in doing your part in stopping overfishing I would also take a look at the Sustainable Development Goals website, I will also link below (2). Both websites have information and tips from experts on the topic and are really detailed and interesting.
2) Pollution. We all are aware of this problem, it really isn't new. What can I say, apart from the stuff you hear all the time? Reduce materials such as plastic and paper/cardboard in daily life as much as you can, plant Vegetation wherever you are, and reduce, reuse, recycle and upcycle as much as you can. Save energy, and use the car as little as possible...I believe we also have an article on being sustainable in daily life. If not, I will write one soon. Try not to travel so much, though I am probably really not the right person to ask something like that.
3) Injuries due to boats of their gear. That topic is rather hard because there really isn't that much you can do when you are not there. But when you are there, think of the Porpoise, and avoid a boat tour if you can. The most important and efficient thing is always: If you can do nothing else, share the information with people! It seems like a small thing to do, but the more people know, the better!
1) Overfishing is generally an important topic to keep in the back of your head when buying fish to eat because there are many things you can keep an eye on to buy the environmentally friendliest fish you can. The first and most obvious choice to make is where you buy your fish. Is it the Organic market or the really cheap supermarket from next door? Other questions to ask yourself are: Where in the world was the fish caught? Has it been transported a long way, emitting lots and lots of CO2 and do you have access to local fish? How was it caught?
This question might make little sense to some of you, but let me tell you this: really cheap fish is often caught with gigantic boats that drag massive nets behind them through the ocean, that not only catches the fish they want to catch, but also many other marine species that are often endangered. Or there are these farms underwater that breed the fish and then sell them. And obviously, the traditional way of fishing one fish at a time is the most sustainable. Especially if you fish them yourself. But many people do not have the opportunity to do so, so a good idea would be to look out for the MSC label. The MSC label is a label you can get on seafood in over 100 countries, certifying that the seafood you buy has been fished sustainably. You exactly what that means and what the standards are for the MSC sets, you can check them out on the website. I will link it below (1).
If you are interested in doing your part in stopping overfishing I would also take a look at the Sustainable Development Goals website, I will also link below (2). Both websites have information and tips from experts on the topic and are really detailed and interesting.
2) Pollution. We all are aware of this problem, it really isn't new. What can I say, apart from the stuff you hear all the time? Reduce materials such as plastic and paper/cardboard in daily life as much as you can, plant Vegetation wherever you are, and reduce, reuse, recycle and upcycle as much as you can. Save energy, and use the car as little as possible...I believe we also have an article on being sustainable in daily life. If not, I will write one soon. Try not to travel so much, though I am probably really not the right person to ask something like that.
3) Injuries due to boats of their gear. That topic is rather hard because there really isn't that much you can do when you are not there. But when you are there, think of the Porpoise, and avoid a boat tour if you can. The most important and efficient thing is always: If you can do nothing else, share the information with people! It seems like a small thing to do, but the more people know, the better!
Where can I learn more?
I got my information on the Porpoise from WWF (World Wildlife Fund):
https://www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-01/WWF_WiW_2017_Factsheet_Yangtze%20Finless%20Porpoise%20FINAL.pdf
https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/yangtze-finless-porpoise
Information on Overfishing:
(1) https://www.msc.org/
(2)
https://www.globalgoals.org/goals/14-life-below-water/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/critical-issues-overfishing
If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us!
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