Bridge project impacting Hong Kong dolphins

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Bridge project impacting Hong Kong dolphins

August 19, 2016 - 16:24
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Population plunges sixty percent in one year

Hong Kong's iconic Chinese white dolphins are diminishing with new evidence indicating a 60 percent plunge in one year primarily due to construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong is concerned dolphin numbers will be impacted further when construction begins on the airport's third runway. On that project, land reclamation will be four times the amount than for the bridge and require double the time to build.

The latest annual dolphin monitoring report found numbers totaled only 65 animals between April 2015 and March 2016, down from 87 the previous year. The percentage of juvenile dolphins dropped to a historic low in the past 14 years. The green group attributed the shift in habitats to the construction of the bridge and increased marine traffic.

Irreversible detriment

"Reclamation could bring irreversible detriment to dolphins, as the filling of reclamation pollutes the water, reduces their food supply and affects their health,” said Samantha Lee, WWF's assistant marine conservation manager. “The frequent sailing of construction ships also interferes with dolphins as they use sonar to navigate through the ocean," she added.

The group also urged government to immediately designate waters off Tai O, the dolphins’ core habitat, as West Lantau Marine Park. Designating the coastal waters as marine park will link current and future marine protection areas in the north and southwest Lantau, forming a network of protection to the remaining prime habitats and travelling corridors of dolphins. The group also urged the government to expand marine protected areas to encompass least 10 percent of Hong Kong waters, compared to the current level of 1.5 percent.

"After the waters are designated as marine protection area, developments will be avoided, activities that may have ecological impact like fishing will be controlled and ships will be limited to sail at 10 nautical miles per hour. The marine protection area will have a conservation effect to the species there," she said.

The Chinese white dolphin is also known as the pink dolphin due to its pale pink colouration. It became Hong Kong's official mascot for the handover ceremony in 1997, when Britain returned the territory to China.

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