DALIAN: At 8 a.m., Liang Zeye, 48, a former fisherman, set off in his speedboat to the waters near Haxian Island in Changhai, a border island county composed of 195 islands in northeastern China’s Liaoning Province. His mission? To reunite with his “old friends.”
“Look over there! That’s ‘Little Grey.’ You can easily spot him with those distinctive patterns on his face,” Liang said excitedly, pointing toward a grey silhouette above the waves. This “little buddy,” characterized by its rounded head and amiable grin, is just one among the over 1,000 East Asian finless porpoises that Liang has meticulously tracked and safeguarded over the past 14 years.
“Every year, I search for finless porpoises over 70 times,” Liang said. “We are friends now. They even come to find me when I arrive.”
Listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2017, the East Asian finless porpoise holds the distinction of being the smallest cetacean species inhabiting the waters from the Taiwan Strait to the northern expanse of the Yellow Sea.
Situated along the northern edge of the Yellow Sea, Changhai boasts excellent water quality and a wealth of temperate marine life, rendering it an appealing habitat for East Asian finless porpoises that migrate for breeding between April and October annually.
Growing up in a fishing family on the island, Liang shares a profound bond with sea and marine creatures, especially the finless porpoises. “I was introduced to the world of finless porpoises by my grandfather when I was just five years old. Back then, the whole area was covered with finless porpoises, which was spectacular.”
“Fishers regarded the finless porpoises as soldiers of the Dragon King, the lord over the sea in Chinese mythology. When they passed, fishers had to stop sailing and everyone went silent. It was a very sacred moment,” Liang recalled.
During the 1990s, offshore fishery resources experienced depletion due to overfishing; Liang did not see a finless porpoise for decades. All that changed in 2009, when he saw three of them while fishing.
“What a pity that there were so few of these ‘smiling angels.’ I had to protect them.” Since then, Liang has frequently sailed to search for and observe finless porpoises and made it his mission to remind other fishermen to avoid injuring marine life.
In 2016, with the marine tourism boom in China, Liang transitioned from commercial fishing to this burgeoning industry, which places emphasis on both economic gains and ecological preservation.
He secured a contract for a 33-hectare sea area frequented by finless porpoises, allowing him to more effectively safeguard these endangered creatures.
“Fishing operations are strictly prohibited in this area. Besides, we have installed artificial reefs, which provide an ideal habitat for fish and shrimp,” Liang explained.
To restore the marine ecological environment, Liaoning Province implemented the ecological redline policy in 2017, which identified crucial ecological zones in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea for strict protection.
In recent years, the county has also implemented a range of protective measures for the marine environment and fishery resources. These initiatives encompass the strategic deployment of artificial reefs, the restoration of seaweed beds, and the meticulous monitoring of the marine ranch environment.
Simultaneously, the island county has amped up its island tourism, achieving a harmonious equilibrium between ecological preservation and economic progress.
In 2023, Dachangshan, Xiaochangshan and Zhangzi islands, all in Changhai, were named among China’s “Harmonious and Beautiful Islands.”
Benefiting from a more secure marine environment and ample food resources, the maritime region under Liang’s stewardship has witnessed a steady rise in the population of East Asian finless porpoises over the past few years, climbing from 80 in 2017 to more than 400 by 2023.
“How wonderful would it be if the splendid scene of countless finless porpoises that my grandfather showed me will reappear in this area?!” Liang said with enthusiasm.
To make this dream come true, Liang participated in the establishment of the Changhai County Marine Mammal Conservation Association in July, which regularly organizes activities such as watching finless porpoises and beach cleanup to raise awareness among the younger generation.
“They are the next generation, and they will spread the concept of marine conservation to others,” said Liang, adding that he hopes for a widespread public consensus on ocean protection in the future.
