A desperate attempt to stop China 's precious 'water pandas ' dying out forever has begun on the Yangtze River . The Yangtze finless porpoise is facing the same fate as their cousin , the river dolphins which were officially declared extinct in 2006 , wiped out by human development in the world 's most populous country . There are just 1,000 of the fresh water mammals left living in the world 's longest river , but number are declining by more than 13 per cent every year , the People 's Daily Online reports . At that rate , the finless porpoises - who are known for their mischievous smiles , and referred to affectionately as China 's pandas of the water - will be extinct within a decade . Endangered : The Yangtze finless porpoise is critically endangered and could be extinct within the decade . Mission : Fishermen and experts have known joined together to try to halt the decline . But now local fishermen have joined forces with the World Wildlife Fund ( WWF ) and China 's Institute of Hydrobiology to try and turn the tide for the porpoises , after the Ministry of Agriculture and the Yangtze River Fishery Supervision Bureau decided it was time to save the species . The Yangtze Finless Porpoise Conservation Project officially began this month when a fleet of carefully navigated boats headed out into Poyang Lake in Jiangxi Province . The lake is almost twice the size of London and hit the headlines last year after it dried up , thanks to the Three Gorges reservoir - the world 's biggest dam - and a drought . But the freshwater lake , the largest in China , is also home to almost half the surviving finless porpoises - a total of 450 animals . The project aimed to catch the Yangtze 's last remaining water mammals , attracting them using sonar to allow them to collect data on their health , gender , weight and measurements . The strongest animals were then taken to be released into other areas , where scientists hope they will help increase the populations . Plan : A new project sees some of the strongest animals from the largest population being relocated . Future : Experts hope the animals they catch in Poyang Lake will help increase populations elsewhere . WWF 's porpoise project protection commissioner Zhang Xinqiao said they had managed to catch 36 finless porpoises since March 11 . 'After physical examinations we have temporarily placed 11 of them into holding cages and eight of these will be relocated to their new homes in April , ' he added . It is thought the porpoises will be moved to waters in two conservation areas on the border of Hunan and Hubei provinces .
Yangtze finless porpoises are classified as 'critically endangered ' by WWF . Only surviving mammals in the Yangtze since river dolphins made extinct . Just 1,000 finless porpoises remain - and could be extinct with the decade . WWF and Institute of Hydrobiology now launched program to save species . Organisations , with the help of local fishermen , hope to reverse decline .