Acoustic and visual monitoring conducted by WWF-Hong Kong has revealed dramatic increases in Chinese white dolphin occurrences since the suspension of cross-border ferry operation in the Southern Lantau Fairway in February 2020. With larger and less disturbed habitats at their disposal, Chinese white dolphins were observed to forage and socialise more often. They also exhibited milling and resting behaviours that had not been recorded near the fairway over the previous five years. WWF calls for urgent marine traffic mitigation measures to be enacted before the resumption of high-speed ferry operations. These measures need to reduce underwater noise disturbances and provide better conservation for key dolphin habitats in Hong Kong waters.

To facilitate the aforementioned suggestions, WWF-Hong Kong conducted a survey of proposed options to mitigate vessel traffic impacts off southern Lantau, by understanding cross-border travel patterns and public willingness to pay for local cetacean conservation. Nearly 70% of the respondents chose “rerouting ferries southward” as their preferred option to conserve cetaceans (including finless porpoises) off southern Lantau. The government should work jointly with the industry, maritime and ecological experts, conservationists and relevant stakeholders to explore the feasibility of rapidly implementing the preferred options to minimise vessel traffic impacts before fast ferries resume. Please click here for more information on WWF-Hong Kong’s cetacean monitoring during pandemic and “passenger willingness to pay” survey.