China's finless Porpoises

[DeanB 19]

Just happened upon this very sad news

 

 

 

 

Dive safe

 

DeanB

[secretsea18 0]

Just happened upon this very sad news

 

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/...000/8767968.stm

 

 

this link should work.

Edited June 29, 2010 by secretsea18

[frogfish 5]

Well, news to the BBC, maybe.

 

The freshwater Yangtze finless porpoise has been considered a separate sub-species (Neophocaena phocaenoides ssp. asiaorientalis) endemic to the middle and lower reaches of the Changjiang and genetically distinct from marine relatives since 1992 or 1998 (sources disagree), and a number of experts assume that this and another sub-species (N. p. sunameri) should be classified as a new species distinct from the global population of N. phocaenoides.

 

Whether this population is considered a separate species or sub-species taxanomically has important implications for its conservation status. The global N. phocaenoides is ranked "Vulnerable" (A2cde) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, but the Yangtze finless porpoise, as a sub-species, is ranked separately by the IUCN as "threatened". Higher threat ranking can help justify and mobilize more governmental, NGO, community and other resources to protect this endangered mammal.

 

One of the most important current threats to Yangtze finless porpoises is the practice of installing large numbers of fixed nets on the lake bottoms of expansion/flood lakes on both northern and southern banks of the river. Finless porpoises become entangled in these untended, sturdily-built, nets and drown. RARE and WWF are working with Chinese wetlands nature reserves and community groups to try to induce local fishermen to reduce or eliminate this practice.

 

(The photograph was taken at East Dongting Lake near the channel to the Yangtze in November 2009, during the winter low-water, so the nets are exposed.)

 

See: Xiujiang Zhao et al "Abundance and conservation status of the Yangtze finless porpoise in the Yangtze River, China," Biological Conservation 141:12, Dec 2008 pp 3006-3018.) See also http://www.iucnredlist.org. (The IUCN's Red List is a very important conservation site with extensive, carefully compiled, highly credible and up-to-date information about threatened species.)

Edited July 29, 2010 by frogfish

[Steve Douglas 16]

To be honest, this type of stuff makes me physically ill to my stomach. I guess that's why I never watch animal planet. Can't stand to see animals suffer.

steve