Chinese white dolphins return to estuary in SE China's Fujian for seven consecutive years

A Chinese white dolphin swims in the Zhangjiang River estuary, Yunxiao county, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Fang Wei)

In mid-February, a pair of Chinese white dolphins spotted in the Zhangjiang River estuary, Yunxiao county, southeast China's Fujian Province became an online sensation. Their appearance has reignited public interest in the conservation of this endangered species.

"This year, we captured footage of a pair of adult Chinese white dolphins, both entirely pink and over 2 meters long. This marks the seventh consecutive year they've returned to Yunxiao together," said Fang Wei, deputy director of the Zhangjiangkou National Mangrove Nature Reserve's research and education center.

The Chinese white dolphin is under first-class state protection in China. There are just around 6,000 Chinese white dolphins worldwide. Known as the "giant panda of the sea," they are highly sensitive to water quality, making them a key indicator of marine ecosystem health.

Two Chinese white dolphins swim in the Zhangjiang River estuary, Yunxiao county, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Fang Wei)

In the 1960s and 1970s, Chinese white dolphins were a common sight in the Zhangjiang River estuary. But with increasing coastal development, their numbers plummeted. The last confirmed sighting in Yunxiao was in 2009—until they made a comeback in 2018.

Getting this year's footage wasn't easy. Fang's drone tailed the dolphins for an hour and a half, burning through three batteries, before finally capturing a one-minute video.

The reappearance of Chinese white dolphins in Yunxiao county reflects years of dedicated ecological restoration efforts.

Photo shows the Zhangjiangkou National Mangrove Nature Reserve in Yunxiao county, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Fang Wei)

In recent years, Yunxiao county has made marine ecological conservation a top priority, implementing an integrated approach that includes estuary management, wastewater treatment for aquaculture farms, removal of illegal marine farming, and expansion of coastal shelter forests. The county has also secured significant funding, launching a 460-million-yuan (about $63.14 million) marine ecological protection and restoration project.

Egrets fly above the Zhangjiangkou National Mangrove Nature Reserve in Yunxiao county, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Dai Yuansheng)

According to Huang Guanmin, director of the Zhangjiangkou National Mangrove Nature Reserve's research and education center, beyond the returning Chinese white dolphins, the reserve has seen a steady rise in rare and endangered bird species, including the black-faced spoonbill, which is under first-class state protection in China.