Hong Kong to seek whale-watching ban after report finds fast-moving vessel killed mammal
- Mickey Lai, from Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, says authorities should be given more powers to restrict vessel activity
Hong Kong authorities are hoping to ban whale-watching after an autopsy report revealed a male juvenile Bryde’s whale, found dead off the city’s waters last July, was killed by a large, fast-moving vessel that fatally injured its back and spine.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said the whale was struck by a fast-moving vessel sometime in the 24 hours since the morning of July 30 last year, while ruling out that the injury was caused by a whale-watching vessel.
Mickey Lai Kin-ming, director of the department, said authorities should be given more powers to ban whale-watching and quickly establish temporary areas restricting vessel activity in times of a sighting.
“When whales come to Hong Kong, there are often issues or poor health conditions observed, so we should not further disturb them and cause unnecessary stress,” he said on Friday.
Lai said he hoped the department would have a concrete plan and a timeline on a whale-watching ban by the third quarter of this year, adding an expert panel on the relevant legislation would be consulted.
The report conducted by Ocean Park experts ruled out fishing vessels, sampans and speedboats as the cause of the marine mammal’s death.
Whale-watching activities dropped dramatically after the government dissuaded the public a week after the whale was spotted, the report said, and no such activity was detected four days before its death.
