Experts blame Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge for falling dolphin numbers
They also say that construction of the third airport runway will result in more loss, and urge the government to designate more marine parks
According to figures acquired by WWF Hong Kong from a not yet released Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) report - between April 2015 and March 2016, the total estimated number of white dolphins in Hong Kong dropped by a quarter from 87 to 65.
Dolphins found in the northern waters of Lantau were worst hit, with numbers dropping by 60 per cent in this period. This area had been most affected by construction. For example, the once prime dolphin waters around Mo To Chau - two islands to the north of Hong Kong International Airport - are now adjacent to a man-made island reclaimed for the bridge.
“The report is shocking and has set off alarm bells,” Samantha Lee, conservation expert at WWF Hong Kong, said. She attributed the sudden drop in numbers to the construction of the bridge and was also worried about the impending construction of the airport’s third runway, which would involve more ships and undersea noise.
Samuel Hung Ka-yiu, Chairman of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society - who was commissioned by the AFCD to compile the report - declined to comment on its figures.
However, he attributed the dropping dolphin numbers in the past few years to a combination of habitat loss, reclamation and increasing high-speed ferry traffic in the area.
