Humpback dolphins in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta: status, threats and conservation challenges
Karczmarski, L.; Huang, S.-L.; Or, C.K.M.; Gui, D.; Chan, S.C.Y.; Lin, W.; Porter, L.; Wong, W.-H.; Zheng, R.; Ho, Y.-W.; Chui, S.Y.S.; Tiongson, A.J.C.; Mo, Y.; Chang, W.-L.; Kwok, J.H.W.; Tang, R.W.K.; Lee, A.T.L.; Yiu, S.-W.; Keith, M.; Gailey, G.; Wu, Y. (2016). Humpback dolphins in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta: status, threats and conservation challenges, in: Jefferson, T.A. et al. Adv. Mar. Biol. 73: Humpback dolphins (Sousa spp.): Current status and conservation, Part 2. Advances in Marine Biology, 73: pp. 27–64. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2015.09.003 In: Jefferson, T.A.; Curry, B.E. (Ed.) (2016). Adv. Mar. Biol. 73: Humpback dolphins (Sousa spp.): Current status and conservation, Part 2. Advances in Marine Biology, 73. Academic Press: London. ISBN 978-0-12-803602-0. 326 pp., more In: Advances in Marine Biology. Academic Press: London, New York. ISSN 0065-2881; e-ISSN 2162-5875, more |  |
| Keywords | Noise pollution
Sousa chinensis (Osbeck, 1765) [WoRMS]
Marine/Coastal | | Author keywords | Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins; Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta/Pearl River Estuary; Population parameters and trend; Population viability; Coastal habitats and environmental degradation; Marine protected area; Pollutants and bioaccumulation; IUCN conservation assessment; Conservation management |
| Authors | | Top | - Karczmarski, L.
- Huang, S.-L.
- Or, C.K.M.
- Gui, D.
- Chan, S.C.Y.
- Lin, W.
- Porter, L.
| - Wong, W.-H.
- Zheng, R.
- Ho, Y.-W.
- Chui, S.Y.S.
- Tiongson, A.J.C.
- Mo, Y.
- Chang, W.-L.
| - Kwok, J.H.W.
- Tang, R.W.K.
- Lee, A.T.L.
- Yiu, S.-W.
- Keith, M.
- Gailey, G.
- Wu, Y.
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| Abstract | In coastal waters of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) is thought to number approximately 2500 individuals. Given these figures, the putative PRD population may appear strong enough to resist demographic stochasticity and environmental pressures. However, living in close proximity to the world's busiest seaport/airport and several densely populated urban centres with major coastal infrastructural developments comes with challenges to the long-term survival of these animals. There are few other small cetacean populations that face the range and intensity of human-induced pressures as those present in the PRD and current protection measures are severely inadequate. Recent mark-recapture analyses of the animals in Hong Kong waters indicate that in the past two decades the population parameters have not been well understood, and spatial analyses show that only a very small proportion of the dolphins’ key habitats are given any form of protection. All current marine protected areas within the PRD fail to meet a minimum habitat requirement that could facilitate the population's long-term persistence. Demographic models indicate a continuous decline of 2.5% per annum, a rate at which the population is likely to drop below the demographic threshold within two generations and lose 74% of the current numbers within the lifespan of three generations. In Hong Kong, the case of humpback dolphins represents a particularly explicit example of inadequate management where a complete revision of the fundamental approach to conservation management is urgently needed. |
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