Numbers of Yangtze finless porpoise increasing

Environmental efforts bringing endangered populations back to life

In Jiangxi province's Hukou county, the waters of the Yangtze River converge with the Poyang Lake. Here, a patrol team, led by Shu Yin'an, is witnessing firsthand the resurgence of the elusive Yangtze finless porpoise.

Shu, 57, born to a family of fishers, has put down his net to take up the mantle of environmental protection and ecological restoration along Asia's longest river.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Yangtze finless porpoises were a relatively common sight, according to Shu. But by the early 2000s, predominantly due to human activities, their numbers started to dwindle.