China News Service Zhuhai, June 25 Electric question: More than 2,300 Chinese white dolphins in the Pearl River Estuary are building rescue and conservation bases
Author Cheng Jingwei Xiao Yousheng Wu Yaomei
China's national first-level protected animal, the Chinese White Dolphin, is known as the "Panda at Sea" and is also the mascot of Hong Kong's return to the motherland in 1997. A reporter recently visited the Pearl River Mouth China White Dolphin National Nature Reserve in Guangdong and learned that there are currently more than 2,300 Chinese White Dolphins living in the Pearl River Mouth area.
The reserve is located in the Pearl River Estuary between Lingding Island and Niutou Island, west to Zhuhai Qi'ao Island, and east to the boundary between Guangdong and Hong Kong waters. The population of the Chinese White Dolphin population here is relatively complete from generation to generation, covering infancy, infancy, juvenile There are six generations in the period of puberty, adolescence, strong age and old age, which are the areas with the most dense distribution and the largest number of Chinese white dolphins in China.
"The reserve has been established for more than 20 years, and has always adhered to the original heart of the rescue and conservation of Chinese white dolphins." Chen Hailiang, head of the Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve Administration in the Pearl River Mouth of Guangdong, told reporters that the reserve has organized Sun Yat-sen University and China Fisheries Science Research. The South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute and other units set up a monitoring team to carry out a comprehensive follow-up monitoring of the Chinese White Dolphin resources in the Pearl River Estuary, and basically grasped the basic conditions of its resources, population size, population structure, migration rate, birth rate, survival rate and so on. A photo database of Chinese white dolphins was established using photo identification and intercept survey methods.
"The current protection methods for Chinese white dolphins are mainly from the aspects of ambulance management, resource monitoring, cruise supervision, scientific research cooperation, science popularization and construction of ambulance and conservation bases. For example, strengthening cruise management in protected areas can reduce human activities. Disturbance of the living environment, the development of breeding and release of fish and shrimp fry can increase its food supply, etc." Chen Hailiang said that within 7 years of the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Project, the Protection Area Administration participated in the "Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Project to the Pearl River Mouth The Special Study on the Impact of Chinese White Dolphins" instructs relevant units to adopt measures such as the "sound drive method" to drive out whales and dolphins that have entered the construction area of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge within 500 meters; the builders and construction units have trained thousands The "dolphin watcher" and "dolphin watchman" of the plan; supervise the construction party and the construction unit to implement various construction mitigation measures to protect the Chinese white dolphin. During the period, the Chinese White Dolphin Resource Monitoring was organized, covering the entire Lingding Ocean and part of the western waters of the Pearl River Estuary. During the construction period of the bridge, there was no casualty accident that directly caused the Chinese White Dolphin due to the construction, and no major marine environmental pollution accident. With the joint efforts of all parties, the promise of "Bridge open to traffic, Beluga do not move" was fulfilled. "
The Chinese White Dolphin Rescue and Conservation Base under construction at the Pearl River Mouth China White Dolphin National Nature Reserve
At present, the reserve is innovating and exploring the establishment of a Chinese white dolphin big data display platform, including an individual identification database, stranded database, sample database and specimen database, which fully presents the sea status and weather of the reserve, population resource monitoring, live endangered animal rescue, cruise management, etc. content.
Since 2013, the reserve has handled more than 230 cases of rare and endangered marine animals stranded, including 190 cases of Chinese white dolphins, many of which were scarred when stranded. "In recent years, some Chinese white dolphins have been injured or even killed by the propellers of high-speed ships. The huge wounds look terrible." Chen Hailiang called for measures to limit the speed of ships passing through the protected areas, especially between Hong Kong and Macao. Speed limit of high-speed passenger ships.
Coincidentally, Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Sun Xingli, suggested that fishing nets near Chinese white dolphins infested areas should be equipped with wire mesh propeller shields to ensure that the Chinese white dolphins cannot be injured when the propellers rotate.
In response to this, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Natural Resources pointed out in recent days that according to the statistical data on the causes of stranding of Chinese white dolphins over the years, habitat destruction, food shortages, medium and high-speed vessels, fishing net entanglement and human interference are the main factors that threaten the survival of Chinese white dolphins. . The Department believes that it is necessary to upgrade and reconstruct the medium and high-speed ships passing through the habitat of the dolphin, limit the speed and speed, set a fishing ban period, and strengthen the management of fishing gear.
At the same time, some fishing boats occasionally broke into the Chinese White Dolphin Reserve for illegal fishing, and even if they were found to be handed over to relevant agencies for treatment by the cruise crew, according to the existing regulations, the punishment was not strong. Chen Hailiang suggested that in order to protect the habitat of the Chinese White Dolphin, the penalties should be further increased and the cost of illegality should be increased.
At present, the reserve is building a new Chinese white dolphin rescue and conservation base, which is close to the existing Qi'ao base. On the construction site of the Chinese White Dolphin Rescue and Conservation Base project, the reporter saw that there was a hook machine working on the ground. It is understood that the new base has a total investment of about 54.82 million yuan, and will be built into a modern base integrating ambulance, scientific research, mission, management and internship.
Chen Hailiang introduced that the total sea area used by the Chinese White Dolphin Rescue and Conservation Base Project is about 80 hectares, of which the reclamation area is 5.3 hectares, the wilderness pool area is 5.5 hectares, the breakwater and the wharf area are 1.8 hectares, and the main construction contents include wharf, bank protection and wave prevention Embankments, dolphin isolation pools, wilderness pools, bait holding pools, etc. The second phase of the project is also planned to include the Whale and Dolphin Square, the Whale and Dolphin Museum, the White Dolphin Research Center, the Domestic and Foreign Cooperation and Exchange Center, and the Science Education and Education Center.
Due to the wide range of activities of the Chinese White Dolphin and its particularly strong ability, it is very difficult to carry out artificial breeding research. At present, there is no precedent for artificial breeding in the world. "Under the leadership of the Guangdong Provincial Forestry Bureau, the new base has fully accelerated the pace of construction, which is of great significance to the advancement of stranding and rescue of Chinese white dolphins, scientific research cooperation, and popularization of science popularization. In the future, we will explore the development of Chinese white dolphins at the new base. Artificial breeding and other scientific research work." Chen Hailiang said that he will lead the team towards this new desire to promote the sustainable development of the Chinese white dolphin population. (Finish)