This Day, That Year: Dec 24

Editor's note: This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China.

In December 1996, the Wuhan Baiji Conservation Foundation was established in Hubei province to protect marine mammals. It was the first aquatic species protection organization in China.

The baiji, or Yangtze River Dolphin, is a type of freshwater dolphin, which has existed for 20 million years.

In 1999, the baiji population was estimated to be as low as 13 dolphins, compared with 400 in 1981. The last confirmed glimpse of a baiji was documented by a photo taken in 2002.

An item on Jan 22, 2003, from China Daily showed researchers measuring the length of a dolphin at a Wuhan aquarium.

In 2006, the dolphin was declared functionally extinct, which meant the population was too small for the species to reproduce, after a team of scientists failed to find one during a six-week search of the Yangtze River. Its extinction was blamed on overfishing, pollution, ship collisions and other human-related causes.

The Chinese sturgeon, Chinese sucker fish, Chinese rock carp and Dabry's sturgeon-all endemic to the Yangtze River-are also on the brink of extinction.

To increase the diversity of aquatic species and recover fish stocks, the State Council, China's Cabinet, has issued a guideline to strengthen the protection of aquatic creatures in the Yangtze River that includes a year-round ban on all fishing in the river next year.

According to the guideline, fishing, apart from fish farming, will be banned shortly in the Yangtze River and tributaries and lakes connected to it.

By 2035, the environment of the Yangtze River will be significantly improved; the habitats of aquatic organisms will be fully protected; aquatic resources will increase significantly; and its diversity will be effectively restored, according to the guideline.