by Charles Liu
A rare white dolphin has died after beaching itself on Neilingding Island, Shenzhen last Sunday.
A nationally protected species in China, this is the third endangered white dolphin to die on a Shenzhen beach in the last two years.
Officials suspect a kilometer-long stretch of oyster rafts to have caused the dolphin’s death.
“The white dolphin may have entered shallow water during the morning tide, and found itself blocked by the oyster rafts when it tried to return to deep water. Rafts probably caused the injuries to the white dolphin,” said Zhang, the director of the island’s management office.
The danger posed to the Chinese white dolphin by the oyster rafts has increased significantly over the last few years. “More and more rafts have appeared in this area, and I once saw a white dolphin stuck among them,” said Chen, a staff member from the management office.
Zhang says that although it is legal to use oyster rafts in the area, an investigation should be conducted to ensure all of the oyster breeders have the proper permits.
Known as the “pink dolphin” in Hong Kong, the Chinese white dolphin faces a number of threats to its survival including overfishing, water pollution, heavy marine traffic, and infrastructure projects such as the 42 kilometer-long Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge and a third planned runway for Chep Lap Kok Airport.
In 2013, CNN reported that the population of Chinese white dolphins in and around Hong Kong had dwindled to 61 from 158 in 2003, and warned the endangered animal was “headed for extinction”.
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