Wang Zhengfei, an expert on the Yangtze finless porpoise, said that his team expected to encounter three Yangtze finless porpoises during their latest field investigation in Jingjiang, a county-level city in Taizhou, East China's Jiangsu province, which commenced on Jan 26.
Wang Zhengfei's finless porpoise observation team conducts its first field mission of the year in the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River, in East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo by Sheng Yi]
Specifically, the team expected to observe "TJ-1", "TJ-2" and "TJ-3", representing the first, second and third finless porpoises discovered in the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River.
Over the previous observation periods from Sep 2021 to Dec 2023, they conducted over 60 boat surveys, covering a total distance of about 2,404 kilometers and observed 235 finless porpoises in 67 groups.
Among them, three porpoises with distinctive markings on their neck, eye, and back have been identified as "TJ-1", "TJ-2" and "TJ-3".
Wang mentioned that the team plans to conduct a 7-day field survey every month to ascertain the number of porpoise groups and their seasonal distribution in the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River.
Comprised of experts from the Wetland College at Yancheng Teachers University, the team was commissioned by Jingjiang's environmental protection bureau to undertake this important task.
The presence of the Yangtze finless porpoises, which are under first-class national protection, serves as a testament to the excellent state of the water ecosystem in Jingjiang.