The Yangtze finless porpoise is the sole remaining cetacean in the Yangtze River after the baiji dolphin was declared functionally extinct in 2006.
Yangtze finless porpoises entangled in illegal fishing gear drown in the rivers their species has inhabited for millennia. Boat traffic noise disrupts their sonar-based navigation and foraging in already difficult river conditions. Heavy pollution from industrial and agricultural discharge accumulates in their bodies causing chronic health impairment. The 10-year fishing ban provides genuine hope for reduced entanglement mortality, but illegal fishing continues. The extinction of the baiji makes the welfare of each remaining finless porpoise of immense conservation significance.