A airport project is threatening the al of the rare pink dolphins that off Hong Kong's western coast. as Chek Lap Kok, a small island off imm that lies to Hong Kong's west, is Z" bulldozed to form a platform for r airport, environmentalists fear that etiging, reclamation, underwater wing and accompanying sewage ri., could kill the dolphins.
The indications are ominous. PodsIphins, believed to belong to theiw family as Chinese white dolphinsse Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins,Le Travelled regularly around 2 isletsw-n as The Brothers. As these isletsrr blasted and levelled for the airport even single sightings have nowL,rne a rare phenomenon.
Besides, in the '80s, pods of up toacre often seen. Now the dolphinsmri in groups of only 3 or 4. Accord, the estimates of environmentalkv---,z Stu Pryke, there were 200 to 400wwse white dolphins in Hong Kong'sor-f-; in 1989. Some researchers now6mc that their numbers have declinedki-o een 40 and 100.
Environmental concern centres onwruction din. and high frequencyw rom underwater blasting. "We're,1arly worried this could kill aniIN outright. The underwater noiseOL juse a massive pressure change,",earcher Lindsay Porter, who estiOm :hit the dolphins will be safe from only if they are at least 600wv way. Although contractorspk-ng on the airport project haveW it) minimise the hazards of blast -atrolling waters within the danto check that no dolphins are such assurances cut little ice sceptics. Pryke believes the onlypr , an emergency sanctuary offO,at,tern Lantau.
S,ng Kong's agricultural and fishP :,C-artment is, however, not particularly well disposed to such suggestions. According to the department,these measures may turn out to be awaste of taxpayers' money. Conservationists, nevertheless, believe thatsuch officialdom will hasten the cleimiseof the dolphins.