China’s white dolphins, often called “pandas of the sea,” are slipping toward extinction. Once abundant along the southeastern coast, they now survive in fractured pods, many of which are too small to recover.
These Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins are concentrated in a handful of hotspots, with the largest group—around 2,000—living near the Pearl River Estuary. But others, like the 13 surviving dolphins off Shantou, are hanging by a thread.
As populations drop below critical thresholds, these animals face what marine scientists call an irreversible downward spiral.
The species holds China’s highest level of wildlife protection and is listed as “vulnerable” by the IUCN. But safeguards on paper haven’t stopped their numbers from falling.
In Hong Kong waters alone, the population has declined by more than 80% in just 17 years, with only 37 individuals remaining today, according to the WWF.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Zureks, License: Public Domain
Chinese white dolphins are rapidly disappearing from their historic coastal habitats.
Development Projects Shatter Dolphin Habitat
At the heart of the crisis is habitat loss. Estuarine waters, where dolphins breed and hunt, are being consumed by large-scale land reclamation and infrastructure projects. The construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the expansion of Hong Kong’s airport are just two examples of developments that have fragmented the dolphins’ range and displaced them from key breeding grounds, Sixth Tone reports.
Noise pollution, marine traffic, overfishing, and declining water quality further compound the problem. Female dolphins, who reproduce slowly, struggle to keep their calves alive in degraded environments. In one particularly tragic case, a newborn named “Hope” survived only two weeks before disappearing, likely due to environmental stressors.
Dolphins rely on estuarine waters, which are vanishing under human expansion.
Small Pods Are Most at Risk
Smaller groups, like those in Shantou, Xiamen, and Qinzhou, are most vulnerable. These pods are genetically isolated, cut off by urban development and declining fish stocks, The Maritime Executive reports. With fewer individuals to socialize, reproduce, and hunt with, survival becomes harder.
A 2022 study co-authored by marine biologist Zheng Ruiqiang found that the Sanniang Bay group had shrunk by 35% in just four years.
Efforts to safeguard these pods often fall short. Existing nature reserves frequently no longer align with where the dolphins actually live. Staff have limited enforcement power, and the rules don’t always cover harmful activities like fish farming, Sixth Tone reports.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Zureks, License: Public Domain
Only 13 dolphins remain near Shantou, making extinction nearly inevitable for that pod.
Tech and Community Take the Lead
With traditional protections faltering, innovation is stepping in. At the forefront is iDolphin, a citizen science initiative developed by ChinaBlue. The platform allows everyday people to upload dolphin sightings via a mini-app on Weixin. AI then analyzes dorsal fin shapes to identify individuals with over 93% accuracy.
So far, the app has catalogued more than 2,600 dolphins using 34,000+ photos, helping centralize data once scattered across institutions and citizen groups. This model is revolutionizing how dolphin populations are monitored and protected, Dialogue Earth reports.
Public participation doesn’t end there. In Hong Kong, the WWF has engaged over 4,000 residents in a survey exploring public willingness to fund noise mitigation measures and vessel speed restrictions. Screenings of the documentary Sea of Noise have reached thousands, sparking grassroots momentum for dolphin protection.
Regional Conservation Is Gaining Ground
China is also sharing its conservation experience abroad. Its successful recovery of the Yangtze finless porpoise—whose population increased to 1,249 by 2022 after decades of decline—has become a template for other freshwater dolphin programs.
In Wuhan, over 50 experts from Southeast Asia gathered to study the techniques that brought the porpoise back from the brink. Discussions focused on ex-situ breeding, acoustic monitoring, and rewilding, with hopes of replicating the model for Irrawaddy dolphins, TV BRICS reports.
The Path Forward
Despite the grim outlook for some pods, especially the Shantou 13, researchers argue that small populations still matter. Each group offers valuable insight into behavior, habitat needs, and the limits of conservation. Losing them means losing data—and the chance to get it right for others.
Efforts like iDolphin, the Emergency Action Plan in Hong Kong, and cross-border scientific collaboration represent a shift in how conservation is done. It’s no longer just the realm of biologists and bureaucrats. Communities, technology, and regional partnerships are all becoming part of the solution. As Zheng Ruiqiang warns, if large populations like the Pearl River group aren’t protected today, they too could become tomorrow’s Shantou 13.
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