Jiangxi to strengthen endangered porpoise protection

NANCHANG -- East China's Jiangxi Province will strengthen protection of endangered finless porpoises with a slew of measures, authorities said Wednesday.

According to the guidelines issued by the provincial government this month, efforts will be made to enhance protection of the habitats of finless porpoises.

Emergency rescue and patrol mechanisms will also be improved to reduce unnatural deaths of the animal. A video surveillance system will be set up and drones will be used to make regular patrol flights.

Fishing, sand mining and shipping will be put under stricter control to reduce the impact of human activities. Ecological restoration projects will be carried out in major spawning areas.

Rarer than China's giant panda, the finless porpoise is a mammal similar to the dolphin, and now teeters on the brink of extinction, with a population of around 1,000. About 450 live in Jiangxi province's Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake.