Yangtze Freshwater Dolphin Expedition 2006
Encyclopedia
The Yangtze Freshwater Dolphin Expedition 2006 (长江淡水豚类考察) was a six-week search expedition undertaken in November and December 2006 in central China
in an attempt to locate continued proof of the existence of the endangered Baiji Yangtze Dolphin (Chinese River Dolphin). It was carried out under the direction of the Institute of Hydrobiology in Wuhan
and the Swiss-based baiji.org foundation and was notable for drawing to an end without any positive results. Thus it was announced that the species was functionally extinct
.
The scientists travelled on two research vessels almost 3500 kilometres from Yichang
to the nearby Three Gorges Dam
, onto Shanghai
and into the Yangtze Delta before retracing their path backwards. They used high-performance optical instruments and underwater microphones in an attempt to locate one of the dolphins.
The head of the baiji.org Foundation and co-organizer of the expedition, August Pfluger was reported to have said “It is possible we may have missed one or two animals”. However even if a small number were still alive, it is extremely unlikely they would be able to survive in the long-term. “It is a tragedy, a loss not only for China, but for the entire world” Pfluger said from his base in Wuhan.
Others retain some hope for the species. Wang Limin, director of the World Wildlife Fund Wuhan office said, "The fact that the expedition didn't see any baiji dolphins during this expedition does not necessarily mean that the species is extinct or even 'effectively extinct', because it covered a considerable distance in a relatively short period of time... However, we are extremely concerned. The Yangtze is highly degraded, and we spotted dramatically fewer finless porpoises
than we have in the past."
The expedition was led by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and brought together experts from international institutes like the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), the Hubbs-Seaworld Institute from San Diego and the Fisheries Research Agency in Japan
.
A report of the expedition was published online in the journal Biology Letters
on August 7, 2007, in which the authors wrote: "We are forced to conclude that the baiji is now likely to be extinct, probably due to unsustainable by-catch in local fisheries..." http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/content/15782wq480207749/?p=cd62e89fd8884abaa16a65995a093b28&pi=0
"Witness to Extinction: How We Failed To Save The Yangtze River Dolphin", an account of the 2006 survey by Samuel Turvey, one of the survey participants, was published by Oxford University Press in autumn 2008. This book investigated the baiji's probable extinction within the wider-scale context of how and why international efforts to conserve the species had failed, and whether conservation recovery programmes for other threatened species were likely to face similar potentially disastrous administrative hurdles.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
in an attempt to locate continued proof of the existence of the endangered Baiji Yangtze Dolphin (Chinese River Dolphin). It was carried out under the direction of the Institute of Hydrobiology in Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
and the Swiss-based baiji.org foundation and was notable for drawing to an end without any positive results. Thus it was announced that the species was functionally extinct
Functional extinction
Functional extinction is the extinction of a species or other taxon such that:#it disappears from the fossil record, or historic reports of its existence cease;#the reduced population no longer plays a significant role in ecosystem function; or...
.
The scientists travelled on two research vessels almost 3500 kilometres from Yichang
Yichang
Yichang is a prefecture-level city located in Hubei province of the People's Republic of China. It is the second largest city in Hubei province after the province capital, Wuhan. The Three Gorges Dam is located within its administrative area, in Yiling District.-History:In ancient times Yichang...
to the nearby Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in the Yiling District of Yichang, in Hubei province, China...
, onto Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and into the Yangtze Delta before retracing their path backwards. They used high-performance optical instruments and underwater microphones in an attempt to locate one of the dolphins.
The head of the baiji.org Foundation and co-organizer of the expedition, August Pfluger was reported to have said “It is possible we may have missed one or two animals”. However even if a small number were still alive, it is extremely unlikely they would be able to survive in the long-term. “It is a tragedy, a loss not only for China, but for the entire world” Pfluger said from his base in Wuhan.
Others retain some hope for the species. Wang Limin, director of the World Wildlife Fund Wuhan office said, "The fact that the expedition didn't see any baiji dolphins during this expedition does not necessarily mean that the species is extinct or even 'effectively extinct', because it covered a considerable distance in a relatively short period of time... However, we are extremely concerned. The Yangtze is highly degraded, and we spotted dramatically fewer finless porpoises
Finless Porpoise
The finless porpoise is one of six porpoise species. In the waters around Japan, at the northern end of its range, it is known as the sunameri . A freshwater population found in the Yangtze River in China is known locally as the jiangzhu or "river pig". There is a degree of taxonomic uncertainty...
than we have in the past."
The expedition was led by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and brought together experts from international institutes like the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
(NOAA), the Hubbs-Seaworld Institute from San Diego and the Fisheries Research Agency in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
A report of the expedition was published online in the journal Biology Letters
Biology Letters
Biology Letters is a peer-reviewed scientific journal. It was split off as a separate journal from the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences in 2005 after having been published as a supplement. Originally it was published quarterly, but from 2007 it has been...
on August 7, 2007, in which the authors wrote: "We are forced to conclude that the baiji is now likely to be extinct, probably due to unsustainable by-catch in local fisheries..." http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/content/15782wq480207749/?p=cd62e89fd8884abaa16a65995a093b28&pi=0
"Witness to Extinction: How We Failed To Save The Yangtze River Dolphin", an account of the 2006 survey by Samuel Turvey, one of the survey participants, was published by Oxford University Press in autumn 2008. This book investigated the baiji's probable extinction within the wider-scale context of how and why international efforts to conserve the species had failed, and whether conservation recovery programmes for other threatened species were likely to face similar potentially disastrous administrative hurdles.
External links
- The baiji Foundation "Hope dies last"
- Baiji is functionally extinct