Authorities Act to Protect Endangered White Dolphin in South China

By Jessica Ho, August 16, 2018

Authorities from Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macau will form an alliance to strengthen cooperation among conservation groups monitoring the endangered Chinese white dolphin in the vicinity of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao sea bridge, Xinhua News reports.

From the outset of construction in 2009, authorities have reportedly sought to minimize the impact of the 55-kilometer-long bridge that runs through the home of the Chinese white dolphin.

In order to minimize the impact on the dolphin population, the Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin Reserve trained thousands of dolphin watchers who monitor and protect marine mammals in the region.

Each time construction is scheduled to start, watchers spend 10 minutes beforehand looking out for any nearby dolphins. “If we see them, we play the sound of their enemy, the killer whale, to warn them away,” watcher Luo Guocai explained to Xinhua.

Dolphin conservationists seem to have been successful, with researcher He Guomin stating that, “No Chinese white dolphin died due to the construction in seven years.”

Researchers remain optimistic yet watchful of the current number of dolphins. Chen Tao, another researcher, explained: “Our monitoring showed that there are 950 to 1,000 Chinese white dolphins… compared with 1,100 to 1,200 before the construction of the bridge.”

However, the dolphins’ habitat is predicted to undergo more change as the bridge nears opening.

“After the opening of the bridge, assessments will be needed on the potential impact of the pier, artificial island, and tunnel on the dolphins. Years-long monitoring and surveys on the dolphins in the Lingding Bay and in their other habitats need to be made,” Chen warned.

Protecting the endangered white dolphin will be an ongoing task for conservationists as increasingly busy shipping activity in the region poses a threat to their environment.

[Cover image via Leonard Reback/Wikimedia]