White Dolphins Affected by Tour Groups
The Hong Kong Standard for Tuesday 23 September has an article suggesting that tour groups are scaring the white dolphins that we get in Hong Kong waters. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) feel that some of the tour groups are being too aggressive and getting too close to the dolphins, which may be driving them away.
There are 3 main types of tour groups:
- Professional dolphin watching tours
- General city tours which include dolphin viewing and are usually organised by local travel agents
- Individual boat owners leading groups of people out on their own
The third group are seen as the biggest problem as they are more likely to race towards dolphins when they have been sighted. It is also more commen for groups of small boats to “ambush” the dolphins, causing more stress. All tour groups are encouraged to follow common guidelines such as keeping a minimum distance and not feeding the dolphins.
According to studies and observations over the years, AFCD have found that dolphins surface less when there are boats in the vicinity. Considering what has happened to 2 divers in Hong Kong over the last couple of years, you can hardly blame them. (Some information on the most recent incident here and here).
I was once lucky enough to do a trip out with one of the people responsible for doing regular counts of the dolphins, and it was a really good day out. It was the first time I’d seen them close up and it’s something I won’t forget in a hurry. But it’s a difficult balance between giving people the chance to see one of our rare marine creatures and learning more about them, and putting too much stress on them. AFCD need to make sure the guidelines they have in place are working and are being observed, and tour operators need to be very careful to keep to these guidelines. Hopefully tourists will report any concerns or issues that may come up on their tours.
