Poyang Lake has the highest density of Yangtze finless porpoises in the river basin

(ECNS) -- Poyang Lake in eastern China's Jiangxi province is home to 542 Yangtze finless porpoises, nearly 40% of the country's total and the highest density of the species in the Yangtze River basin, a local official said Monday.

Wang Qianhu, director of the Jiangxi Provincial Development and Reform Commission, gave the figures at a news conference in Nanchang, the provincial capital, on the province's efforts to promote development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

The Yangtze finless porpoise, known as the "giant panda of the water," is a critically endangered species and a first-class nationally protected wild animal in China. It is the world's only freshwater subspecies of finless porpoise.

Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake, is a key habitat for the species. Zhang Limin, deputy director of the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said a 2025 midterm assessment of the Yangtze River fishing ban showed that the species' population had recovered to 1,426 porpoises nationwide.

The lake's population of 542 is up 85 from before the fishing ban, Zhang added.

(By Gong Weiwei)