- Title: Rare dolphins make a comeback in quieter Hong Kong waters
- Date: 13th September 2020
- Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (RECENT - AUGUST 31, 2020) (REUTERS) (MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF RESEARCH VESSEL RESEARCH VESSEL VARIOUS OF PORTER PILOTING RESEARCH VESSEL HONG KONG, CHINA (RECENT - AUGUST 30, 2020) (REUTERS) DOLPHINS SURFACING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIST, DR LINDSAY PORTER, SAYING: "When we do see dolphins, we photograph them so that we know which individual we are following - because we know a lot of the individual dolphins in Hong Kong. They are resident species. And we log their behaviour and figure out what it is they are doing in this habitat, and how much time they are spending here, compared to previously, where it was just too busy for them to be here." DOLPHINS SURFACING AS BRANNAN SAYS (English) "SO TANTALISING" BRANNAN LOOKING THROUGH BINOCULARS DOLPHINS SURFACING AS BRANNAN SAYS (English) "ALL THREE, SO THAT'S THREE DEFINITELY, AND THEN MUM AND CALF, SO YEAH WE'VE GOT FOUR, PLUS THE CALF, ONE FURTHER OFF" (SOUNDBITE) (English) SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIST, DR LINDSAY PORTER, SAYING: "Now people think, how could you possibly recognise one dolphin from another. All we do is take images of their dorsal fins - and believe it or not, the shape, the markings, the colouration of the dolphin, is so varied between individuals, that it's quite easy for us to tell the difference." HONG KONG, CHINA (RECENT - AUGUST 31, 2020) (REUTERS) (MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF RESEARCH VESSEL HONG KONG, CHINA (RECENT - AUGUST 30, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIST, DR LINDSAY PORTER, SAYING: "And what we have noticed, since the ferries have stopped in this area, is dolphins that we hadn't seen for four or five, six years, are back in the Hong Kong habitat. So it seems very quickly, with our area becoming quieter, that the dolphins have come back into our - this waterway in Hong Kong." VARIOUS OF BRANNAN DEPLOYING HYDROPHONE RECORDING EQUIPMENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIST, DR LINDSAY PORTER, SAYING: "So what we've been doing since the ferry stopped is to document not only the sounds of the underwater environment here through the device that we've just thrown overboard, and also we have fixed listening stations along the coast of southern Lantau." (MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF RESEARCH VESSEL ENGINE IN OPERATION ON MOVING RESEARCH VESSEL VARIOUS OF BRANNAN OPERATING RESEARCH VESSEL DOLPHINS SURFACING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIST, DR LINDSAY PORTER, SAYING: "The water became a much quieter place to be. So for dolphins, that meant they could gather in larger groups, and socialise more. So we've been able to study more of the socialising behaviour of Hong Kong's dolphins, and normally we don't have the chance to do that." HONG KONG, CHINA (RECENT - AUGUST 31, 2020) (REUTERS) (MUTE) VARIOUS OF DRONE FOOTAGE OF RESEARCH VESSEL RESEARCH VESSEL APPROACHING LAND HONG KONG, CHINA (RECENT - AUGUST 30, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIST, DR LINDSAY PORTER, SAYING: "I feel sometimes that we're simply documenting the demise of this population of dolphins, But I feel that it's important that we do understand what the impacts is of man and his activities on this population, so perhaps we can use this knowledge elsewhere to save or protect better other dolphin populations." RESEARCH VESSEL IN MOTION AT SEA
- Embargoed: 27th September 2020 09:14
- Keywords: COVID-19 China Hong Kong coronavirus dolphins humpback marine science natural environment
- Location: HONG KONG, CHINA
- City: HONG KONG, CHINA
- Country: Hong Kong
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA005CVNT7WN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Coronavirus travel restrictions have literally emptied waters around Hong Kong of boats and ferries and due to the quiet, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins are making a comeback, giving scientists a once in a lifetime opportunity to study the impact of underwater noise on the aquatic mammals.
Known locally as the Chinese white dolphin, the dolphins are part of a migratory population that live in the Pearl River Estuary.
Lindsay Porter, a Hong Kong marine scientist, told Reuters the absence of noise from high-speed ferries has provided a real-world experiment demonstrating what happens when a major environmental stressor is suddenly eliminated.
"When Hong Kong closed its borders due to COVID-19 it also stopped all its ferries which go into Macau and mainland China," Porter said. "Since the ferries have stopped in this area, dolphins that we hadn't seen for four or five, six years, are back in the Hong Kong habitat. So it seems very quickly, with our area becoming quieter, that the dolphins have come back into our - this waterway in Hong Kong."
Porter and her team of scientists, who rely on photography, underwater recording and drone photography for their research, said dolphin sightings now appear to be up as much as 30 per cent, and described it as "remarkable" how rapidly the dolphins appear to have adapted to the changes in their environment.
But she says the increase in numbers is likely to reflect new migratory patterns for now, rather than a growing population. Nevertheless, the initial findings may have implications for other dolphins that live in coastal or river areas, such as the Irrawaddy Dolphin and the South Asian river dolphin.
The Hong Kong World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimates the dolphins in the estuary to number around two thousand, which may already be lower than the threshold for a sustainable population. A survey carried out in 2017 by the University of Hong Kong placed the dolphin population in Hong Kong at around 400, while the Hong Kong government said the latest figures showed only 52 dolphins in 2019. The WWF attributes the discrepancy to differing research methodologies.
Porter, who has studied the dolphins at sea for over three decades, cautioned that despite recent improvements, Hong Kong's dolphin population may never return to sustainable levels.
"I feel sometimes that we're simply documenting the demise of this population of dolphins, But I feel that it's important that we do understand what the impacts is of man and his activities on this population, so perhaps we can use this knowledge elsewhere to save or protect better other dolphin populations," said Porter.
The city's government has taken an active interest in improving its conservation policies for the resident dolphins in recent years, and operates six marine parks which have certain restrictions on maritime traffic. However, conservationists have criticised these measures as insufficient, arguing that the dolphins remain at risk of colliding with high speed ferries when moving between protected areas.
(Production: Aleksander Solum) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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