No-go zone must be set up to protect whale, conservation urges govt

12-09-2023 16:08 HKT

A conservation organization on Tuesday suggested the government set up some restricted areas to protect the whale spotted in the waters off South District.

After the mammal was sighted at Deep Water Bay on Monday, many feared that a similar tragedy to the young Bryde's whale in July would happen again as the public might pursue the whale recklessly.

Taison Chang Kai-tai, the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society chairperson, said the whale spotted could be a dwarf sperm whale or pygmy sperm whale.

He added that as the two species are quite similar, more information is needed before determining the species.

Chang stated that the dwarf sperm whale is rather shy and instinctively avoids ships and urged the public to avoid sailing out for whale watching.

He suggested the authorities and enforcement prohibit vessels from approaching the areas within a 500-meter radius of the waters that the whales spotted while also regulating the whale-watching activities in the long term.

The public members were currently asked by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to keep a distance of no less than 100 meters after whales are spotted at sea, or they risk breaking the law.

Handout photos from the Department showed that there were wounds on the whale's back.

Chang explained that dwarf sperm whales would aggressively react when caught and bite anything near it, along with spouting ink to scare away enemies. He does not recommend authorities attempt to catch it for further care.