Yangtze fishing moratorium nets positive results for river ecosystem

The population of Yangtze finless porpoises has increased by 23 percent compared with 2017, according to a scientific expedition of Asia's longest river led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs last year.

Ma Yi, director of the ministry's Yangtze River Fisheries Administration, told a news conference on Tuesday that the population had fallen consistently from 1,800 in 2006 to 1,012 in 2017.

The Yangtze finless porpoise, a unique freshwater cetacean of the Yangtze River, is a key indicator species for assessing the ecosystem of the river, the ministry said.