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Report of the Second Workshop on The Biology and Conservation of ...

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MacaoIn 1999, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Portuguese dependent territory <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>Macao became a Special Administrative Regi<strong>on</strong>(SAR) within <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> People’s Republic <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> China. Macaohas no territorial waters; its waters are under <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>jurisdicti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> mainl<strong>and</strong> PRC. Hung noted that<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re have been some str<strong>and</strong>ings <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> humpbackdolphins <strong>on</strong> Macao shores.TaiwanSpecies <strong>and</strong> distributi<strong>on</strong>Changes to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> list <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> cetaceans occurring inTaiwanese waters since <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> list in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 1995workshop report include: 1) deleti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> dug<strong>on</strong>gdue to a lack <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> evidence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> its existence in Taiwanwaters, <strong>and</strong> 2) additi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> striped, dwarf spinner(Stenella l<strong>on</strong>girostris roseiventris) <strong>and</strong> Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins <strong>and</strong> mel<strong>on</strong>-headed,Blaineville’s beaked <strong>and</strong> tropical bottlenose whale(also known as L<strong>on</strong>gman’s beaked whale).In 1999/2000, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> tax<strong>on</strong>omic status <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> twosympatric forms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> bottlenose dolphins in Chinesewaters was clarified by Wang et al. (1999, 2000a,2000b). C<strong>on</strong>sistent genetic (mtDNA), externalmorphological <strong>and</strong> osteological differencesbetween <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> two forms str<strong>on</strong>gly support <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>existence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> two species <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> bottlenose dolphinsin Chinese waters, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> comm<strong>on</strong> bottlenosedolphin (Tursiops truncatus) <strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Indo-Pacificbottlenose dolphin (T. aduncus).Populati<strong>on</strong> statusField surveys <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> small cetaceans in Taiwan’ssouthwestern waters were c<strong>on</strong>ducted by T. G.Chen’s group in 1994-1999 <strong>and</strong> in nor<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>astern<strong>and</strong> sou<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>astern waters by L. S. Chou’s group in1997-2000. Huang (1996) reported <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> abundanceestimates for comm<strong>on</strong> bottlenose dolphins (N=672)<strong>and</strong> Risso’s dolphins (N=153) in southwesternwaters. However, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se estimates were not based<strong>on</strong> systematic line-transect methodology <strong>and</strong> are<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> unknown accuracy <strong>and</strong> precisi<strong>on</strong>. Fur<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>geographical limits <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> populati<strong>on</strong>s with regardto <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> surveyed area are not known. In additi<strong>on</strong>, it isnot clear whe<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r some <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> bottlenose dolphinsmight have been T. aduncus. <strong>The</strong>se factorsmake <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> estimates <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> questi<strong>on</strong>able reliability<strong>and</strong> usefulness. Y.-A. Chen (2001) reported <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>populati<strong>on</strong> estimates for Risso’s dolphin (N=218,CV=29%), spinner dolphin (N=1490, CV=253%),pantropical spotted dolphin (N=1280, CV=38%),<strong>and</strong> comm<strong>on</strong> bottlenose dolphin (N=193, CV=53%)from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> same surveys. <strong>The</strong> same problems <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>unknown populati<strong>on</strong> boundaries relative to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>survey area <strong>and</strong> questi<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> species identity applyto <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se estimates. Estimates for sou<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>asternwaters will be made in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> near future based <strong>on</strong>data collected during 1997-1999.A small group <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> T. aduncus was observedin Nan Wan <strong>and</strong> adjacent waters <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> sou<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rnTaiwan. Because many <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> photo-identifiedindividuals were observed toge<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r over threec<strong>on</strong>secutive summers, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se dolphins likelyrepresent a functi<strong>on</strong>al or family group. Apreliminary estimate <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> abundance was <strong>on</strong>ly about24 individuals in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> study area <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> about 85 km2(Doc. 6, 8).Habitat statusCoastal development <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> west coast <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Taiwanc<strong>on</strong>tinues at a rapid pace. All major rivers draininginto <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Taiwan Strait are c<strong>on</strong>trolled upstream bydams <strong>and</strong> reservoirs. <strong>The</strong>re is still no sewagetreatment before discharge. Little m<strong>on</strong>itoring<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> water quality <strong>and</strong> seafood c<strong>on</strong>taminati<strong>on</strong>occurs. While analyses <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> tissues from pelagiccetaceans <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>f Taiwan have shown that nei<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rchlorine nor heavy metal accumulati<strong>on</strong>s arevery high relative to o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r countries in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>world (Chen 1998, Shih 2001, 2002, Chen etal. 2002), c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s in coastal animals areunknown, <strong>and</strong> factors <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> age <strong>and</strong> sex in relati<strong>on</strong> to<str<strong>on</strong>g>Sec<strong>on</strong>d</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Workshop</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>Biology</strong> <strong>and</strong> C<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Small Cetaceans <strong>and</strong> Dug<strong>on</strong>gs <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> SE Asia 31

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