Chinese White Dolphin - Timeline of Main Events

Timeline of Main Events

• 1637: The Chinese white dolphin was first discovered in Hong Kong by the adventurer Peter Mundy near the Pearl River. The species are attracted to the Pearl River Estuary because of its brackish waters.

• 1765: Pehr Osbeck gives the first scientific description of the species.

• Late 1980s: Environmentalists started to pay attention to the Chinese white dolphin population.

• Early 1990: The Hong Kong public started to become aware of the Chinese white dolphin. This was due to the side effects of the construction of the Chek Lap Kok Airport. It was one of the world's largest single reclamation projects: the reclamation of nine square kilometers of the seabed near Northern Lantau, which was one of the major habitats of the dolphins.

• Early 1993: Re-evaluation of the environmental effects of the construction of Chek Lap Kok Airport. This alerted eco-activists such as those from the World Wide Fund for Nature in Hong Kong, in turn bringing media attention on the matter. Soon enough, the Hong Kong Government began getting involved by funding projects to research on the Chinese white dolphins

• Late 1993: The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department was founded.

• 1996: Dr. Thomas Jefferson began to conduct research on the Chinese white dolphins in hope of discovering more about them.

• 1997: The Chinese white dolphin became the official mascot of the 1997 sovereignty changing ceremonies in Hong Kong.

• 1998: The research results of Dr. Thomas Jefferson was published in "Wildlife Monographs".

• 1998: The Hong Kong Dolphinwatch was organized and began to run dolphin watching tours for the general public to raise the public's awareness of the species.

• 2000: The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department started to conduct long-term observation of the Chinese white dolphins in Hong Kong.

• 2000: The population of Chinese white dolphins has reached around 80–140 dolphins in the Pearl River waters.