DOLPHINS AND POLLUTION by Dr. Gerald Goeden

The famous Chinese White Dolphins are at home in the waters around Hong Kong but they live in a dangerous place. There has always been concern with the high speed shipping that travels the area. But shipping isn’t their only worry as these territorial animals are faced with rapidly decreasing water quality.

As the human population soars, the tiny island of Hong Kong spews its wastes into the sea. Industrial, agricultural, and domestic sewage are now the greatest threats to the Chinese White Dolphin. In the Pearl River Delta, about 190,000 tonnes of untreated sewage is pumped into the sea each day. The raw sewage and industrial pollutants affect the dolphins as well as the whole ecosystem.

Studies of dead Chinese White Dolphins reveal heavy metals, such as mercury, and organic materials including tributyltin (TBT), an anti-fouling agent, and organochlorines, such as PCBs and DDT. These poisons have entered the dolphins' food chain. Because dolphins and man enjoy the same foods, there is every reason to be concerned about both dolphin and human health.

Fishing also takes its toll as there are few Hong Kong laws about catching dolphins and even less enforcement. Incredibly, dolphins are considered trash fish and can be kept as by-catch to be eaten or used as bait.

The Chinese White Dolphin is found throughout Southeast Asia, and they range from South Africa to Australia. There are two subspecies, with Indonesia the dividing line between the Chinese and the Western subspecies. 

The subspecies found in Southeast Asia has pinkish white skin and a larger dorsal fin but lacks the fatty hump of its South African and Australian counterparts. It grows to 2-3.5 metres and a weight of about 250 kg.

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