After 44 days’ cruising and exploration, the Scientific Research Team of Yangtze Finless Porpoises arrived at Wuhan, their destination on the afternoon of December 24 and the report of their preliminary findings was released immediately at the Institute Wharf of Wuhan.

　　With round voyage of about 3400 kilometers between the reach of Yichang and Shanghai, 380 Yangtze finless porpoises were found by the visual inspection of the research team and 172 by echo-location, which declined remarkably in the finless porpoise population as compared to 2006. Take echo-location inspection for example, only 91 finless porpoises were spotted this year during the single navigation of the ship named Yichang. Whereas in 2006, from Yichang to Shanghai, the research ship named Kekao 1 found 177 during the same voyage.

　　According to the new findings of research team, finless porpoises tend to gather around the areas of wharfs and ports. The Yangtze’s main stream and particularly her downstream are packed with cargo ships and it can be proved by the statistics that during the whole voyage the number of sailing freighters amounts to 9,643, and that of fishing vessels 736. “So busy is the shipping passage that it is no doubt a potential fatal threat for vulnerable finless porpoises whose existence depends entirely on the echo-location system.” observed Dr. Zhang Xinqiao, a member of the research team and official of Yingtaze Finless Porpoises Program of WWF.

　　Comparatively speaking, some finless porpoises were found in non-navigation branching channel and inlet with centralized characteristics. For instance, 3 porpoises were spotted at Yanzhiba of Yichang, 3 at the reach of Erzhou, 8 at Zhenjiang Yangtze Finless Porpoises Provincial Natural Reserve. In spite of this, the situation did not seem to be optimistic for the influence of innumerable fixed nets throughout the voyage and the illegal fishing activities. “On the whole, the finless porpoises of Yangtze mainstream show a trend of spot distribution, a small school of dolphins live in a relatively narrow circle of space; it is not good for reproduction of finless porpoises.” said Wang Kexiong worriedly, the deputy director of this exploration and doctor of Aquatic Species Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Science.

　　The next task will be the intensive analyses of data for team members and then based on these statistics, the number and population changing tendency of the finless porpoises in the mainstream and downstream of Yangtze will be given. After that is done, the result of these researches will offer basic data support for the Saving Yangtze Finless Porpoises Program issued by Ministry of Agriculture and proposals to readjust the range and function area for present finless porpoises