BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The population of the Yangtze finless porpoise has increased to 1,426, an increase of 177 compared to the 2022 survey, thanks to a 10-year fishing ban for the Yangtze River that started from January 1, 2021, according to a press conference on Friday.

A Yangtze finless porpoise leaps out of the water in Yichang, Hubei province in 2020. (Photo: China Daily)

The Yangtze finless porpoise is a national first-class protected wild animal and its population status serves as a "barometer" of the ecological environment of the Yangtze River.

It is the only freshwater subspecies of the finless porpoise family. The species, only found in the middle and lower main streams of the Yangtze River, has been living there for 25 million years.