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(Protankura bidentata), more than 100,000 kg <strong>of</strong>scallops (Chlamys farreri) and more than 100,000kg <strong>of</strong> kelp (Laminaria japonica) per year. Both<strong>the</strong> sea cucumber and <strong>the</strong> scallop, however,have disappeared, and kelp cultivation ceased in<strong>the</strong> 1980s due to heavy pollution. One hundredand seventy species <strong>of</strong> animals were recordedin <strong>the</strong> northwestern part <strong>of</strong> Jiaozhou Bay in <strong>the</strong>1970s, but only 17 were found in 1989 (Miao andGuan 1996). The Yangzi estuary was a traditionalicefish ground that during <strong>the</strong> 1960s yielded morethan 300 metric tons <strong>of</strong> icefish (Salanx sp.) peryear. When industrial effluent from sewer outfallsbegan entering <strong>the</strong> estuary in 1971, yields declinedto such an extent that <strong>the</strong> fishery disappeared in<strong>the</strong> 1980s. The volume <strong>of</strong> wastewater dischargedthrough <strong>the</strong> Yangtze estuary into <strong>the</strong> East ChinaSea is greater than two billion metric tons peryear, a major threat to <strong>the</strong> Zhoushan FishingGround, <strong>the</strong> largest fishing ground in China. In<strong>the</strong> East China Sea, a portion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Xiamen coasthas became a “dead zone” free <strong>of</strong> all macroorganisms.The amount <strong>of</strong> industrial and domesticwastewater discharged into <strong>the</strong> South China Seathrough <strong>the</strong> Pearl River estuary is about 3.7 billionmetric tons per year, killing a great number <strong>of</strong>fish, shrimp and crabs. Fish resources in <strong>the</strong> PearlRiver estuary have been almost eliminated due towater pollution and overexploitation. Although<strong>the</strong>re is insufficient information to quantitativelyassess population trends, <strong>the</strong> decline in fisheryresources has probably caused similar drasticdeclines in cetacean abundance.Although concentrations <strong>of</strong> Cd and Hg in tissues<strong>of</strong> finless porpoises from <strong>the</strong> East China Seaand Yellow Sea were low (Zhou et al. 1993),levels <strong>of</strong> BHCs in <strong>the</strong> blubber <strong>of</strong> finless porpoiseswere higher than in highly contaminated smallcetaceans from Japan and California.Directed catchesAs noted in 1995, shore-based whaling occurredhistorically in Liaoning and <strong>of</strong>f <strong>the</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rn tip<strong>of</strong> Taiwan (Banana Bay and South Bay). Theseoperations are known to have taken baleen whalesand occasionally small cetaceans, includingbeaked and killer whales.By-catchesFisheries pressure is tremendous. There are morethan 3,500,000 gillnets in use in China (Zhou andWang 1994), as well as unknown numbers <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rtypes <strong>of</strong> fishing gear known to cause mortality<strong>of</strong> cetaceans and <strong>the</strong> dugong (e.g. purse seines,trawl nets, long-lines, rolling hooks, set traps, andtrammel nets).The dugong plus eight species <strong>of</strong> small marinecetaceans are known to have been captured incoastal fisheries throughout China (Table 3). Thefinless porpoise has <strong>the</strong> highest by-catch rate.Based on <strong>the</strong> data presented in Table 3, <strong>the</strong>number <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> finless porpoise (Yangzi finlessporpoise excluded) taken is 79.2 % <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> total,<strong>the</strong> percentages for <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r species are 4.8 % forIndo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, 4.2 % for stripeddolphin, 3.7 % for long-beaked common dolphin,2.8 % for common bottlenose dolphin, 2.0 %for pantropical spotted dolphin, 1.7 % for falsekiller whale, and 0.8 % for Indo-Pacific humpbackdolphin and Risso’s dolphin. However, <strong>the</strong> verylow by-catch rate for <strong>the</strong> Indo-Pacific humpbackdolphin may not reflect <strong>the</strong> real situation. Sinceit is listed as Grade I in <strong>the</strong> List <strong>of</strong> Wildlife UnderNational Key Protection, fishermen usually throwit back into <strong>the</strong> sea when it is caught to avoidprosecution. The fishing gears responsible forincidental catches in Chinese coastal waters arepredominantly trawl nets, gillnets and stow nets.A survey <strong>of</strong> incidental catches <strong>of</strong> small cetaceans incoastal waters was conducted in 1994 and 1995 inShandong, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan<strong>Second</strong> <strong>Workshop</strong> on <strong>the</strong> Biology and Conservation <strong>of</strong> Small Cetaceans and Dugongs <strong>of</strong> SE Asia 23
and Guangxi Provinces (Yang et al. 1999). Thetotal incidental catches <strong>of</strong> cetaceans in 1994 in <strong>the</strong>five provinces were estimated using <strong>the</strong> followingformula: N = R x G, where N = number <strong>of</strong> smallcetaceans taken, R = incidental catch rate perfishing effort, and G = total fishing effort. Basedon <strong>the</strong> data obtained by questionnaire surveysin 1994, <strong>the</strong> annual incidental catch in <strong>the</strong> fiveprovinces were estimated at about 3,045 ±2,100. Of <strong>the</strong>se, finless porpoise were about 2,132± 1,484.Two survey members were on board fishingvessels for 24 days to serve as observers duringano<strong>the</strong>r survey in 1998 (Yang et al. 2000). Nodolphins were caught by <strong>the</strong> vessels whenobservers were aboard, but two spotted dolphinswere caught by a vessel operating nearby in <strong>the</strong>same time period.The <strong>Workshop</strong> participants emphasized <strong>the</strong>unreliability <strong>of</strong> questionnaire data for quantitativelyassessing by-catch and encouraged <strong>the</strong> collection<strong>of</strong> more direct data by onboard observers.Legal status and present managementarrangementThe Chinese government at various levels hasenacted a series <strong>of</strong> laws and provisions to protectwildlife including cetaceans. The Indo-Pacifichumpback dolphin is listed as Grade I and allo<strong>the</strong>r cetaceans as Grade II in <strong>the</strong> List <strong>of</strong> WildlifeUnder National Key Protection. The capture,killing, selling, or buying <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> national keyprotected animals, including cetaceans, is strictlyprohibited. Most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> provinces along <strong>the</strong> coastand <strong>the</strong> Yangzi River have issued ei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>ir ownlaws or regulations for <strong>the</strong> implementation <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> national laws and regulations. Marsh et al.(2002) concluded that sufficient legal protectionfor dugong conservation currently exists in Chinaand that <strong>the</strong> problem lies in implementing <strong>the</strong>legislationIn Xiamen, Fujian Province, a natural reserve hasbeen designated for <strong>the</strong> Indo-Pacific humpbackdolphin. However, <strong>the</strong> laws and regulationsdealing with wildlife have not been strictlyenforced in some areas, <strong>the</strong> conservation effortsare inadequate in terms <strong>of</strong> personnel levels andfunds, and <strong>the</strong> endangered species and populationsstill suffer from habitat degradation.Folk attitudes and interactions withhumansCetaceans are not considered a food item inChina. By-catches are frequently used for livestockfeed in some areas. The small cetaceans capturedare usually abandoned or sold at a low price atsea. Usually <strong>the</strong> by-catches are not brought backto <strong>the</strong> fishing port. However, in <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>dugong <strong>the</strong>re is considerable incentive to retainby-catches because <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> value <strong>of</strong> various bodyparts especially <strong>the</strong> tusks and tears in Chinesemedicine.Description <strong>of</strong> existing research programThe Ministry <strong>of</strong> Agriculture Action has draftedaction plans for conservation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Indo-Pacifichumpback dolphin. Research projects supportedby <strong>the</strong> National Natural Science Foundation<strong>of</strong> China include investigating <strong>the</strong> populationstructure <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> finless porpoise.Several projects supported by <strong>the</strong> Ocean ParkConservation Foundation (OPCF) have beencompleted in recent years. These includeinvestigations <strong>of</strong> marine mammal/fisheryinteractions in coastal waters and <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> conservationstatus <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dugong in <strong>the</strong> Beibu Gulf. A Chineselanguagefield guide to marine mammals <strong>of</strong> Chinafunded by FAO and OPCF was published in 2001(Zhou et al. 2001). The participants in a new OPCFProject (initial establishment <strong>of</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rn Chinamarine mammal stranding network, to be directedby Zhou) will distribute <strong>the</strong> guide to <strong>the</strong> localgroups forming <strong>the</strong> network.24 CMS Technical Series Publication Nº 9 - 2005
Page 1 and 2: CMS Technical Series Publication N
Page 3 and 4: Published by the U
Page 5 and 6: TABLE OF CONTENTSpage1. Preliminari
Page 7 and 8: AppendicesAppendix 1 - List <strong
Page 9 and 10: 8 CMS Technical Series Publication
Page 11 and 12: 10 CMS Technical Series Publication
Page 13 and 14: The cetacean species reviewed inclu
Page 15 and 16: Table 1. Major commercial Commonwea
Page 17 and 18: (2) State Legislation.In state wate
Page 19 and 20: (2) Identification of</stro
Page 21 and 22: Coastal speciesThe most frequently
Page 23: Coastal speciesThere are currently
Page 27 and 28: Table 3. Records of</strong
Page 29 and 30: can be viewed as the</stron
Page 31 and 32: Workshop participa
Page 33 and 34: ioaccumulation have not yet been ex
Page 35 and 36: of fishermen who h
Page 37 and 38: are supplied to scholars and organi
Page 39 and 40: threats. Many marine mammal populat
Page 42: waters or recognize important inter
Page 47 and 48: James Cook University (Queensland,
Page 49 and 50: the last ten years
Page 51 and 52: proactive in engaging more staff an
Page 53 and 54: of SE Asia. Two sp
Page 55 and 56: San Francisco (Negros Oriental); Li
Page 57 and 58: Legal status and present management
Page 59 and 60: within 15 kilometers from t
Page 61 and 62: US, has actively participated in ce
Page 63 and 64: the project was su
Page 65 and 66: Recently, the camp
Page 67 and 68: Mekong River downstream of<
Page 69 and 70: porpoises in tropical waters <stron
Page 71 and 72: species in the Ind
Page 73 and 74: Population/stock structureNo new in
Page 75 and 76:
Needs for additional researchStock
Page 77 and 78:
waters of SE Asia,
Page 79 and 80:
caused mortality is certainly large
Page 81 and 82:
Needs for additional researchProper
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from SE Asia, it is known to occur
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3.1.7 AustraliaDugongs occur all al
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Table 8. Conservation objectives id
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3) Monitoring and assessment <stron
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Table 10. Outline of</stron
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The group agreed that this set <str
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6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONSThe works
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96 CMS Technical Series Publication
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Bank, E. 1931. A popular account <s
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Dalebout, M. L., J. G. Mead, C. Sco
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Jaaman, S. A., E. Tangon, I. Isnain
Page 105 and 106:
Lin, Y.-J. 1997. Mitochondrial DNA
Page 107 and 108:
Smith, B.D., T. A. Jefferson, D. Ho
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Yang, W.-C. 2000. Morbillivirus inf
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CHOU Lien-SiangDepartment o
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Brian D. SMITHWildlife Conservation
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APPENDIX 3Agenda1. Preliminaries2.
Page 117 and 118:
Doc. 22 Dugong conservation activit
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AreaDatesSurveyTypeEffortSpeciesNo.
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Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Phase ofActionPlan
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[Small cetaceans are defined to inc
Page 129 and 130:
f) recognizing that by-catch in fis
Page 131 and 132:
130 CMS Technical Series Publicatio
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APPENDIX 9Abstracts of</str
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The (IUCN Critically Endangered) Du
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Status of
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Cetacean Habitats in the</s
Page 141 and 142:
Conservation of <s
Page 143 and 144:
Summary of Current
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Indonesia’s Cetacean Migration Co
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Conservation Effort to Protect <str
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The Status of <str
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Can the Developing
Page 153 and 154:
Status and Conservation of<
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Legal Hunting of C
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Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins (T
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Feasibility Study of</stron
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Songs of a Humpbac
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