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 ten years . WWF and  Institute of Hydrobiology now launched program to save species . Organisations, with the help of local fishermen, hope to reverse decline .