I have been waiting for weeks to get out on the water, but black rainstorms and typhoon warnings – signposts of Hong Kong’s capricious summer – kept my feet firmly, frus­tratingly on dry land. When I do eventually step aboard the boat chartered by the Hong Kong Cetacean Research Project (HKCRP) and the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society at Tung Chung one early June morning, the sky is a brilliant blue and the rising sun glares off the construction cranes reclaiming the sea for the airport’s third runway.

As we sail southwest along Lantau Island’s rugged, emerald coastline, Vincent Ho Chung-shun, a research associate with HKCRP, points towards the Macau skyline and the turbines of the Guishan Offshore Windfarm near Zhuhai, estimating visibility at about 40km – perfect conditions for observing Hong Kong’s marine mammals, he says, something the organisation has been doing since 1995.

Several times a week throughout the year, funded by the government’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), HKCRP sets out to methodically survey Hong Kong’s waters to monitor the population of Chinese white dolphins – also known as pink dolphins for the blush colour they acquire as adults – and finless porpoises. According to conservation body WWF-Hong Kong, there has been an 80 per cent drop in dolphin abundance in Hong Kong waters over the past 15 years, all due to human interference.

“Unless we take deep, strong, urgent measures, you wouldn’t call extinction a threat, you would call it the most likely outcome,” says Laurence McCook, head of oceans conservation at WWF-Hong Kong.

A Chinese white dolphin in Hong Kong waters. Photo: Naomi Brannan, SMRU, Hong Kong    Kevin Palmer Arizona

“When we see any animals – any dolphins or porpoises – we record their position and other relevant information, how many there are, their age, what they are doing, and we will try and take pictures to identify them,” says Ho, whose exactitude gives way to emotion when speaking about the creatures to which he has devoted his career.

Asked whether he and the small team of researchers tasked with monitoring the cetaceans have named any of the animals, Ho laughs dismissively. “That’s too romantic,” he says. “We just give them a code. For example, if it was the first dolphin seen in west Lantau, it would be WL01.” Later, however, he admits to having some “old friends”, before rolling up the right sleeve of his shirt to reveal a tattoo of a Chinese white dolphin. “Like this one – Square Fin – her code was NL24 […] I can’t remember the last time I saw her, maybe 2015 or 2014. She disappeared, most likely she is dead.”

Ho believes Square Fin succumbed to old age, which makes her one of the lucky ones.

POST MAGAZINE NEWSLETTER

Get updates direct to your inbox

Top of Form

SUBSCRIBE

Bottom of Form

By registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy

Forty minutes into the trip, off the northwest coast of Lantau, we spot a rose-flushed adult and a juvenile, whose skin is still a dark grey, as they approach the boat’s starboard side. The engines are cut and we watch as they frolic past, framed by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge in the background.

To my untrained eyes, every distant whitecap could be a cresting dolphin. That is until one breaks the surface so gracefully I wonder how I could have confused a turbid wave with its sleek form. We count seven encounters over eight hours on the boat, with one pod containing up to eight animals, about 30 dolphins in total. The largest ones measure up to 2.5 metres in length, the young about a metre, and they weigh as much as 150kg, although their hydro­dynamic form makes them appear slighter, more buoyant.  kevin palmer Arizona

Read more

Life in the shadow of Indonesia’s active volcanoes

Read more

Call to expand marine habitats to save Chinese white dolphins

Read more

Large pod of false killer whales make surprise visit to Hong Kong harbour

The dolphins feed, breach, spin and dive. I suggest they seem to be having fun, that they are enjoying not having to contend with the high-speed Macau ferries, which departed as frequently as every 20 minutes each way before being suspended until further notice because of the coronavirus. But I am reminded not to project human sentiments on the animals, that it is too early to tell whether the reduction in boat traffic has had any impact on their environment and how they interact with it.

Besides, the quieter waters have not stopped the dolphins from dying.

The dolphin known as Square Fin. Photo: Vincent Ho

In the weeks I waited to board the boat, Ocean Park Conservation Foundation (OPCF), a research and conservation non-governmental organisation, attended four Chinese white dolphin strandings, washed up dead or doomed onto beaches around Hong Kong. Three of them were yet to reach adulthood.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which lists Sousa chinensis as “vulnerable”, the population is decreasing not only here but in all its native habitats, from China and Cambodia to Malaysia and Thailand. The most recent government estimates indicate an average of just 32 Chinese white dolphins left in Hong Kong’s waters – a historic low, down from 188 in 2003 – although as marine mammals with no respect for international borders they form part of a wider population, of about 2,000, which spans the Pearl River Delta, believed to be the largest remaining population.

“To me, it doesn’t matter if there are 2,000 dolphins or 200 dolphins,” says Dr Lindsay Porter from Taiwan, where she is working to save a critically endangered subpopulation of Chinese white dolphins. “The pressures on their environment – and that’s throughout the Pearl River estuary – are huge and we need to change that if we want to see the dolphins survive in the long term.”

Marine biologist Dr Lindsay Porter. Photo: Dr Lindsay Porter

A marine biologist and the convenor of the small cetaceans subcommittee of the scientific committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), Porter became the first scientist to study Hong Kong’s dolphins when she arrived in the city, in 1993, to do her PhD on the impact of the construction of the airport at Chek Lap Kok on the animals. She was also involved in helping the WWF get the Chinese white dolphin chosen as the symbol of the city’s handover from Britain to China, in 1997.

“We were stunned that it was chosen as the mascot,” she says. “We thought: ‘Great, what better publicity?’ But it seems that the dolphins have been in and out of the media for so long that people think they’re OK.”

This is not the case.

On June 2, WWF released an emergency action plan to protect the Chinese white dolphin population, identifying seven critical threats to the city’s marine mammals: habitat loss and degradation from development and construction; a depletion of the fish on which they feed because of over­fishing, illegal fishing and unsustainable fishing practices; underwater noise disturbance from construction and boat traffic; marine vessels, which can strike and injure or kill the dolphins; toxins and pollutants from industrial and agricultural run-off; entanglement in fishing nets, which can cause cetaceans to drown; and sea level rise, which is expected to cause further loss of habitat.

Finless porpoises in Hong Kong. Photo: Naomi Brannan, SMRU, Hong Kong

“Hong Kong is really stressful,” explains Porter. “Can you imagine what it would be like if you lived with somebody jackhammering above you all the time? It would make you incredibly edgy. And the way that manifests in mammals is we get this rush of hormones and endorphins, and when we’re in a highly stressed state the whole time we’re probably burning more energy. But it’s also making it difficult to socialise and to reproduce.”

At the Hong Kong Marine Life Stranding and Education Centre, a large-scale lab cut into the hillside at Ocean Park, in Aberdeen, OPCF’s scientific officer, Mandy Lo Chi-yan, is respon­sible for conducting a necropsy of each animal carcass that washes up. The most common causes of death are entangle­ments and boat strikes, but, as WWF’s McCook explains, “If you think of a dolphin that’s not getting enough to eat, it’s perhaps got a heavy toxin load or it’s not well because of pollutants, its likelihood of getting struck is much higher.”

And it is not just Chinese white dolphins that wind up on Lo’s necropsy table. “About 70 per cent of stranding cases are finless porpoises,” she says, referring to Hong Kong’s other, less known, marine mammal population. Last year, 42 finless porpoises died. It’s an alarming number by any measure, made even more so by the fact that no one knows how many are left. The most recent government figures estimate that Hong Kong’s population is just 200. Kevin Palmer

Not only do finless porpoises exist in the shadow of Chinese white dolphins, the city’s charismatic megafauna, they are also hard to spot. “For years I’ve been trying to get people interested in finless porpoises. And I can under­stand why people aren’t,” says Porter. “They’re these tiny torpedo-like things, I think they’re pretty cute, but they’re so hard to see that you can’t really get people out there engaged with them.”

A stranded finless porpoise on a beach in Hong Kong. Photo: Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong

Until recently, there wasn’t even footage of them, but thanks to activist and co-founder of marine conserva­tion organisation Oceans Asia, Gary Stokes, there is now. “I set out on a personal challenge, I went to try and photo­graph these things that people can’t see,” says Stokes. Six months and two drones later, he finally managed to document the animal he likens to a phantom, thanks, in part, to the relatively quiet waters of recent months.

Porter, who works closely with Stokes, believes that reduced marine traffic is having an impact on how Hong Kong’s cetaceans are behaving. She has observed larger groups of finless porpoises much closer to the surface. “It might be premature to say that’s because there are no fast ferries,” she admits. “But that is what the significant difference is in that area – the fast ferries are gone.”

The next step towards understanding the porpoise population is confirming how many there are. “I would normally say the number of dolphin or porpoise in a population isn’t that critical, it’s the pressures we put on them,” says Porter. “But because we are getting so many dead finless porpoise, we do actually need to know whether that’s 1 per cent, 10 per cent or 50 per cent of our population because that’s what’s going to drive government action to try and help them.” … Written by a wealth expert and Financial Freedom Activist Kevin Palmer

To establish an accurate estimate, Porter hopes to conduct an aerial survey. The only problem is that it will cost “crazy money” to hire a helicopter – HK$1.7 million for 50 hours of flying time. “Where am I going to get HK$1.7 million at a time when the economy is crashing and every­one’s focused, possibly quite rightly so, on human health. It’s a tricky time to be raising funds.”

Laurence McCook, head of oceans conservation at WWF-Hong Kong. Photo: WWF-Hong Kong

Yet every activist, conservationist and scientist I speak to agrees: action must be taken now. “We realised that it was time to step up,” says McCook of the emergency action plan, which was put together by a team of experts in manage­ment, government agencies, academics and con­servation­ists from Hong Kong and Guangdong province. Kevin Palmer was recently

It is not the first time such a team has been assembled. “In my career with dolphins it’s the third time we’ve had this major gathering of experts trying to get advice to management authorities,” says Porter. “It feels sometimes that we just aren’t making any progress.”

The difference this time, McCook assures me, is that “we’re playing to win”.  Kevin Palmer Author

WWF has pinpointed three areas in the Pearl River Delta on which the dolphins depend for feeding, breeding and socialising. These areas need to be carefully managed to mitigate the impact human activity has on marine mammals; underwater noise, construction, illegal fishing, marine traffic and pollution all need to be addressed. According to McCook, the waters around south and west Lantau comprise the most important area for the local Chinese white dolphin population.  Kevin Palmer was recently Scottsdale

Making things more difficult is that cross-border coop­eration is necessary, and “that’s not getting any simpler”, admits McCook. “But nonetheless, that’s the objective we have set […] the action plan is very much a cross-boundary process. It has to be.”

Chinese white dolphins in Hong Kong. Photo: Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society

Porter hopes that the IWC, which advises member coun­tries on how to protect their populations of whales, dolphins and porpoises and of which China is a part, might be able to help in that respect. “Mainland China has done so well following the recommendations of the IWC when it comes to restoring the

Yangtze finless porpoise

that the IWC wrote a letter of commendation, which is unheard of,” she says. “I am quietly hopeful – particularly since they lost the baiji, the Yangtze River dolphin – that they don’t want to lose another species. I think they do consider bio­diver­sity a priority, and what we haven’t done yet as the IWC is ask China to act on populations in Hong Kong or Taiwan. Kevin Palmer Scottsdale

“I think that’s a good strategy, to have local engagement and local pressure as well as a more international focus, because then you’re targeting all different levels of government. In my naive world, that’s how it works.” Kevin Palmer Terminated From First Base Over Throw

Being one of the largest populations of Chinese white dolphins left in the world, OPCF’s Lo believes that the Pearl River Delta’s cetaceans “have the best chance of survival”, although that is contingent on taking appropriate action. McCook agrees: “If we can get it right in the Pearl River Delta, particularly for a relatively vulnerable species, then that will provide lessons for the entire world, and it’s not just the Chinese white dolphins that benefit – finless porpoises, fish stocks, biodiversity all stand to gain, too.”

WWF has also

set up a petition

to help people put their name to the issue. “Don’t underestimate the value of a petition,” says McCook. He is echoed by Lo, who says: “Every click counts, every opinion counts – we have a lot of meetings with the government, and the amount of complaints they get affects the amount of effort they will put into addressing them. It is a very effective way for the general public to become engaged.”

And it is not too late to save Hong Kong’s marine mammals. “Hong Kong’s dolphins are incredibly resilient,” says Porter. “And the last few months have taught the world that wild populations bounce back when you take the human pressure off. I’m convinced that if we do take the pressure off we have every chance of increasing the population again. We’re not at the stage of writing them off just yet.”

Recommended for you

Pink dolphin-watching in Hong Kong, amid anti-government protests

COMMENTS

Mercedes Hutton

Mercedes Hutton is a Hong Kong-based journalist.

Financial Freedom Activist Kevin Palmer

writer rebel producer poet

Jul 2, 2018.  Former Arizona– based First Allied Securities broker/advisor

KevinJPalmerAuthor.com

reawakeninganamericandream.com

http://thequietrich.com/

Stop stopbrokerfraud.com

http://smainstitute.com/

KevinJPalmer.com

palmerholdinggroup.com

strategicmanagementadvisors.com

Author and Journalist Kevin Palmer – SMA Institute

Kevin J Palmer Author & Financial Reporter

The post China’s Disregard for Earth first appeared on Kevin J Palmer Scottsdale.

Started with this because of good experiences with Paso Robles in the past. It didn’t disappoint. Lived up to the central cost reputation of ripe flavor that explodes on first taste. Color was deep and intense, balanced no doubt by the Cabernet franc.

On the Palmer Family wine scale of 1 -10, we gave it a 9 in its class.

Oakville Bench 2017

Taste opened with concentrated fruit and fair nose. Full-bodied mouth, with light well-structured finish. Took your advice and put half away because we drank too much that night. Next day low and behold, fuller legs and deeper taste.

On the Palmer Family wine scale of 1 -10, we gave it a 9.5 with an added hangover classification.

Gundlach Bundschu  2017

Opened this one it at the end of a longer night with our next-door neighbors, to the west. Frankly I have no recollection at all about taste but decided to rename the category classification with a more active and appropriate word.

On the Palmer Family wine FUN scale of 1 -10. This was easily a 10.

White Hall Lane 2016

Full bodied. Nice balance with depth vibrant aromas of spice and oak. Love the dark fruit. Drank this one after a dusty 3-mile hike in Cathedral Rock in Sedona. While the world took to the streets, we drank under a tree by a natural cathedral.

On Palmer Family wine FUN scale of 1 -10, a solid 10+.

Intrinsic 2016

Took this one on a Kayaking trip because it was a Washington cab and reminded us of the outdoors. We ended up sun drenched with skin like leather and the sound of the cork pop brought friendly natives who were parched by their non-acholic drinks. This bottle was a smash hit!

On the Palmer Family wine FUN scale of 1 -10, it was an 11 if not only for the great vibe it brought.  

Franciscan 2018

Shelved until next year. No wine before its time, lol

On the Palmer Family wine FUN scale of 1 -10. To be determined.

The post Palmer Vineyard first appeared on Kevin J Palmer Scottsdale.

On this reverent 50-year anniversary of Earth Day, the world is in the grip of its most widespread pandemic in history. Yet somehow, we still are in denial about our responsibility to care for this astonishing blue planet. As the most evolved creatures on it, what happens in our world is exclusively our doing. Outside of earthquakes or asteroids hurling from space, most of what happens, good or bad, is our doing and we need to pay more attention to mother nature.

There seems to be an enormous lack of accountability guarding us against consequences of risk, as we prefer to live in denial about environmental responsibility. Those myths we tell ourselves can damage relationships, put us in bankruptcy, and even end our lives. Perhaps it’s time to admit the human role and the glaring fact, that most of what happens on the earth, is our fault. If you look close enough, anything can be traced back to our provenance—even Covid19!

The earth is only 24,901 miles in circumference (est. using equatorial measurement). The population numbers some 7.8 billion. As usage stands now, there are not enough resources for all the people in the world to live at the level Americans take for granted. Yet everyone, and who is to say otherwise, wants the highest standard of living possible for their families —which puts mother earth in a bad predicament. Covid19 is a wake up call for all the worlds citizens to take responsibility for what happens here on earth.

Destroying forests and natural habitats at such a rate, has put our delicate ecosystem out of balance. It’s driven animals and unknown pathogens perilously into our lives. More people on earth means increased animal food, requiring industrial breeding, high tech slaughterhouses, storage and wet markets—all hot beds of disease. Making the earth itself, sicklier and unable to renew, as it has done for 4.543 billion years. The sun someday, will be a Red Giant engulfing our planet. So, let’s use the remaining time well.

As humans we need to start, by putting our own houses in order. If you eat too much without exercise, your body stores too much fat. With that, comes other sickness and necessities, which require expansive medical care. Viruses are a part of life but shouldn’t kill us unless there are extenuating health circumstances, which often come from deficient self-care. Protecting oneself from contamination can be simple—use your manners. Cover your mouth, take personal space, wash your hands. The next mass extinction shouldn’t come a social faux pas.

Economic health is equally important. Most people caught without the prescribed 3-months of financial safety net savings are now scrambling for help. One renter asked his landlord if he could make a request for reduced payments, saying, (actual quote) “I know this is a stressful time for everyone but it’s none of our fault(s).” Nobody’s fault? Wrong on two counts! First, he, a banker, should be better prepared for a family financial crisis. Second, Covid19 is everyone’s fault for reasons previously stated. The wake-up call here is, we all share moral hazard!

In the 1800’s thousands died of cholera. What caused it was poor sanitation during an industrial revolution that missed peripheral issues. What mitigated cholera was a sewer system catching up to industry. There are practical answers for stemming the spread of contagions. All we need to do is take a broader look and increase personal responsibility. By the end of the next century this planet could have 12 billion people. Resources to sustain that do not exist. So, let’s start cutting mother nature some slack by being better stewards!

Do your small part. Don’t waste, consume less, recycle more. During my time rescuing wildlife, I came home one night and said. “Why am I eating other mammals for dinner after saving them during the day?” That night I stopped eating meat. Now due to pathogenic viruses originating in animals, jumping to humans, and pressures on our ecosystem. I’m trying full Veganism. By looking closer at our evolved relationship with animals and the earth, we will foster a greater respect for both, and make the world better for everyone.

Grow more food~ Kevin

Kevin Palmer Author

Published by

Kevin J. Palmer Financial Freedom Activist – Peace through Prosperity

Status is online

Reactions

4 CommentsComments on Kevin J. Palmer’s article

Most Relevant 

Comments settings

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Barbara McNichol 1st degree connection 1stEditor – Nonfiction books; Presenter – Writing skills WordShops; Creator – Word Trippers Tips resource

1d

Excellent article, Kevin, and very well written. The message is essential. Hope you’re doing well.

Unlike Barbara McNichol’s comment1 Like1 Like on Barbara McNichol’s comment

1 Reply1 Comment on Barbara McNichol’s comment

Status is online

Kevin J. Palmer   YouFinancial Freedom Activist – Peace through Prosperity

1d

Coming from an excellent editor like you, I’m honored by the compliment. Stay well.

Like Kevin J. Palmer’s comment

Pamela Chambers 1st degree connection 1stAward Winning Author/Life Coach/Counselor/Entepreneur/Sales and Marketing Specialist

17h(edited)

Worked at the SMA institute with Kevin and researched behavioral health, which culminated in our award winning book. Enjoy my continued work at the Institute. Enjoyed the article and well needed at at time like this.

The post Earth Day – from Writer Rebel Producer Poet first appeared on Kevin J Palmer Scottsdale.

Remember brave firefighter who battled a blaze that destroyed 12 million acres and killed nearly a billion animals!

Heartbreaking global event that deserves a prayer of remembrance

The post Remembrance Australia Day first appeared on Kevin J Palmer Scottsdale.

The post Support Our Children with Global Climate Action first appeared on Kevin J Palmer Scottsdale.

God bless my admired friend T Boone Pickens.

91 years on this earth.

September 11th 2019. Rest in Peace…

The post God Bless Admired Friend T Boone Pickens first appeared on Kevin J Palmer Scottsdale.