Hi! I am the new intern Mavis

Hi! I am the new intern Mavis. It is my second week of internship.

I was lucky enough to encounter groups of our precious Chinese White Dolphins. I had a hard time capturing the dolphins on my camera. They popped out and disappeared really fast. I was trying to take photos showing their head but all I got were photos of dorsal fin and fluke.

We were lucky enough to bump into a large group of dolphins in South West Lantau Island water. The dolphins got really close. I could film their clearly with my phone. You can see mother and calves porpoising towards the boat in the video. Some were breaching at the back.

A carcass of Chinese White Dolphin was found during the survey. It was quite fresh. The cause of death is still under investigation.

The research team conduct survey to evaluate the impact of reclamation and constructions on marine mammals. Dredgers used for reclamation are huge. Tons of sands are transported and dumped into the sea. More than 6 large ships surrounded the reclamation site. Imagine the noise and mess under the water. No wonder the animals moved out of their original habitats.

That’s all for my little sum up for the first two weeks of vessel survey. Although many of the activities are cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak, monitoring of marine mammals in Hong Kong is still going on. Let’s see what we can do during this special time. By Mavis