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Campaign launched to protect dolphin species

Members of local animal and environmental protection organizations yesterday hold up photos of Taiwan's Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins at the launch of a campaign to save the mammals, which soon will be listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAPEI TIMES

A campaign was launched yesterday to save Taiwan's Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins, which the International Union for the Conser-vation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) will soon list as critically endangered.

Yang Shih-chu (楊世主), a researcher of the Formosa Cetus Research and Conservation Group, said that fewer than 200 of the humpbacked dolphins could now be found near Taiwan.

Yang's group began surveying the population of humpbacked dolphins along the west coast of Taiwan in 2002.

A total of 49 dolphins were recorded by the group, most of which were spotted within 5km of the coastline between Miaoli and Chiayi counties.

"Their habitats are being gradually destroyed because many government-approved development projects are also located in these areas," she said.

The group's research specifically identified several high-profile investment plans as threatening to the humpbacked dolphin population. These included a Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology chemical plant, a Formosa Group steel plant, and the construction of the Hushan (湖山) Reservoir.

Meanwhile, FormosaCetus said that gill nets and some other fishing equipment used by fishermen in the area also posed a serious threat to the species.

The campaign has received strong and swift support from other environmental protection groups. Jointly, the groups have urged the Executive Yuan to immediately suspend any projects that endanger the dolphins.

They also suggested appropriating a budget to conserve and protect the humpbacked dolphins.

The Taiwan Environmental Protection Union (TEPU) also announced yesterday that it would begin training volunteers next month to join the efforts.

The humpbacked dolphins are also known among the locals as "Matsu fish" (媽祖魚), because they generally appear along the west coast around the March birthday of the sea goddess.

They are easily recognized by their light pink color and like to gather close to the seashores and bayous in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.

Yang said the dolphins were shy and would not usually approach a sea vessel.

Researchers at FormosaCetus have compared the humpbacked dolphins with those found in other parts of the world and concluded that those found in Taiwan "likely represent a unique and isolated local population."

They have also noted that human activity, along the coast are suspected to have greatly impacted the lives of these dolphins in Taiwan, as some of them have large scars on their dorsal fins and backs.
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