As Hong Kong seeks to expand its international airport and with a major new bridge project under way, campaigners warn that the dwindling number of much-loved pink dolphins in surrounding waters might disappear altogether.
Conservationists say their repeated concerns have fallen on deaf ears, with what they describe as a “rapid” decline of the mammal in the past few decades.
The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin — popularly known as the pink dolphin due to its pale pink coloring — draws scores of tourists daily to the waters north of Hong Kong’s Lantau Island.
Photo: AFP
It also became Hong Kong’s official mascot for the handover ceremony in 1997, when Britain returned the territory to China.
However, despite the affection felt toward the dolphins, campaigners say there might soon be none left.
The proposed construction of a third runway at Hong Kong’s busy Chek Lap Kok airport could be the nail in the coffin, they say.
“We think that if that project goes ahead, then it will probably drive the dolphins away from Hong Kong waters,” said Samuel Hung (洪家耀), chairman of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, who has been going out to sea at least twice a week to monitor dolphin activity for almost 20 years.
“In some ways it seems like we are pushing them closer and closer to the edge of the cliff and if we’re making that final push, they will be gone forever,” he said. “I think now is the time to get our act together.”
Hung says there are only around 60 dolphins left in Hong Kong waters — a drop from 158 in 2003.
“The dolphin decline is caused by a number of factors, including overfishing and environmental pollution ... but I think the major contribution is coming from the increase of high-speed ferry traffic,” Hung said, adding that the dolphins have either gone to neighboring Chinese waters or might have died off.
Dolphin habitats have also been affected by the ongoing construction of a 50km bridge connecting Hong Kong to the gambling enclave of Macau.
The bridge looms on the horizon behind the village of Tai O, on the western tip of Lantau Island, from where dozens of dolphin tours go out daily.
“Since the construction of the bridge in 2012 the situation has worsened,” said Hung, who blames land reclamation encroaching on dolphin habitats and continuing construction creating disturbance.
The WWF recently placed volunteers on the dolphin-spotting boats to tell tourists about the problems the animals are facing.
“Pollution is quite serious in the air and water ... we worry about the marine life being affected,” Hong Kong bank worker Yeung Ka-yan said after taking a short boat trip.
“We were a little disappointed,” added her boyfriend Josh Lu, a 26-year-old chef from Taiwan, after failing to spot any dolphins.
Tour boat operator Wong Yung-kan, who was born in Tai O and has lived most of his life there, said residents used to dislike the dolphins because they ate catch from fishermen’s nets, when fishing was the village’s most important trade.
“Now the fishing industry has reduced in size, we have had to change our line of work from fishing to taking tourists out on boats to see dolphins,” Wong said.
Dolphin watching accounts for 10 percent of Tai O’s tourism business.
“Of course we want them to remain here ... the tourists will be happier and we will be happier as well,” Wong said.
Unlike conservationists, he says he is optimistic for the dolphins’ future, but if the worst happens, villagers will adapt as they did before.
“These natural things will not disappear ... if you are not actively eliminating them, then they will not go away,” Wong said. “If this species becomes extinct, there is nothing we can do about it. We can find another way to make a living. People know how to cope with change.”
The government refused to be interviewed, but told AFP in an e-mail that potential impacts the proposed third runway could have on the pink dolphins had been “properly assessed and addressed.”
“To compensate for the permanent loss of Chinese white dolphin habitats arising from the land formation works, the designation of a new marine park of approximately 2,400 hectares in the waters north of the third runway project has been proposed,” the statement from the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said.
However, campaigners criticized the plan, saying the marine park would not be established until at least 2023, when reclamation work for the third runway is expected to finish.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS