Humpback Dolphins in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta: Status, Threats and Conservation Challenges

Advances in Marine Biology
Leszek KarczmarskiYuping Wu

Abstract

In coastal waters of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) is thought to number approximately 2500 individuals. Given these figures, the putative PRD population may appear strong enough to resist demographic stochasticity and environmental pressures. However, living in close proximity to the world's busiest seaport/airport and several densely populated urban centres with major coastal infrastructural developments comes with challenges to the long-term survival of these animals. There are few other small cetacean populations that face the range and intensity of human-induced pressures as those present in the PRD and current protection measures are severely inadequate. Recent mark-recapture analyses of the animals in Hong Kong waters indicate that in the past two decades the population parameters have not been well understood, and spatial analyses show that only a very small proportion of the dolphins' key habitats are given any form of protection. All current marine protected areas within the PRD fail to meet a minimum habitat requirement that could facilitate the population's long-term persistence. Demographic models indicate a continuous decline of 2.5% per annum, a rate at whi...Continue Reading

Citations

Jul 23, 2019·EcoHealth·Stephen C Y Chan, Leszek Karczmarski
Mar 21, 2020·Science·Songhai Li
Mar 27, 2021·Integrative Zoology·Mingming LiuSonghai Li

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