Urgent action is needed to conserve and rebuild the Chinese white dolphin population, in the wake of alarming news last month that the 2012 figures for the numbers of dolphins inhabiting Hong Kong waters were even lower than in 2011 (78 compared with 158 in 2003).
The dolphins are one of the best-protected species in Hong Kong, with, for example, a dedicated marine park and the special attention given to them as a "sensitive receiver" in environmental impact assessments. The dramatic drop in numbers demonstrates that the systems in place to protect this iconic species have failed spectac- ularly, and are in immediate need of an overhaul.
As the government is still dithering, we need the Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE), our ultimate environmental watchdog, to conduct an independent review on what has gone wrong and take steps to redress the balance, including asking the following questions.
Firstly, is construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge responsible for the most recent decline in dolphin numbers? Are numbers declining on the mainland side of the Pearl River estuary too?
If so, how is the Highways Department going to respond and under what circumstances would construction temporarily be halted?
Secondly, why were the two new marine parks proposed in 2002 for the dolphins at southwest Lantau and the Soko Islands never endorsed? Why has commercial fishing still not been banned in our existing marine parks despite the government pledging to do so in 2008?