On June 5, the Yangtze River Fisheries Administration (YRFA) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) held a seminar on Yangtze finless porpoise conservation in Jianli, to discuss the current situation, direction and path of Yangtze finless porpoise conservation.

Experts and scholars aired opinions and made suggestions. Zhao Yimin, Deputy Director of YRFA, attended the seminar and unveiled the plaque for MARA's Jianli Yangtze Finless Porpoise Ex Situ Conservation Base.

The Yangtze finless porpoise is a wild animal under first-class special state protection. The species is critically endangered with only 1,012 in existence according to MARA's investigation data in 2017. There are currently over 100 Yangtze finless porpoises in Jingzhou, roughly accounting for 10 percent of the country's total. Jingzhou has made great efforts on the in-situ conservation, ex-situ conservation, artificial breeding and ecological restoration of Yangtze finless porpoises, to ensure the safe growth and breeding of the species. This year, MARA organized the largest ex-situ conservation action of Yangtze finless porpoises ever, to effectively reduce the risk from the excessive concentration of Yangtze finless porpoises involved and further improve the ex-situ conservation network of Yangtze finless porpoises.

In an ex-situ conservation activity of Yangtze finless porpoises prior to the seminar, 6 Yangtze finless porpoises migrated into Hewangmiao Provincial Yangtze Finless Porpoise Reserve.