Global S&T Development Trend Analysis Platform of Resources and Environment
DOI | 10.1126/science.abc7557 |
Cetaceans under threat in South China Sea | |
Songhai Li; Mingli Lin; Francesco Caruso; Lijun Dong; Wenzhi Lin; Massimiliano Rosso; Alessandro Bocconcelli | |
2020-06-05 | |
发表期刊 | Science |
出版年 | 2020 |
英文摘要 | According to historical whaling and stranding records ([ 1 ][1]), the South China Sea is home to more than one-third of extant cetacean species on Earth, all of which are listed in Appendix I or II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) ([ 2 ][2]). Recent data gleaned from the ecological knowledge of local fishers ([ 3 ][3]) and field surveys ([ 4 ][4]) add to the evidence that part or all of the South China Sea is an important cetacean area with high species diversity that deserves special conservation attention but has been previously overlooked ([ 5 ][5]). Overfishing, together with other anthropogenic activities in the South China Sea, is putting cetaceans in grave danger.
The South China Sea contains lucrative fisheries ([ 6 ][6], [ 7 ][7]). However, in recent decades, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing has led to region-wide overfishing ([ 6 ][6], [ 7 ][7]), posing a major threat to cetaceans ([ 8 ][8]). Overfishing limits cetaceans' nutrition through prey depletion ([ 9 ][9]) and is closely tied to vessel strikes and bycatch of hundreds of thousands of cetaceans ([ 10 ][10], [ 11 ][11]). Many fishing vessels also produce underwater noises that damage cetaceans' hearing and disturb their behavior, causing disorientation ([ 12 ][12]). As a result, cetaceans could disappear from the South China Sea if no conservation actions are taken.
Cetaceans are important megafauna and valuable marine biological resources; saving them is vital to maintaining marine biodiversity and ecosystems. Communication with the wider science, conservation, and policy communities about the need to conserve cetaceans in the South China Sea is the first step toward raising awareness and inciting policy changes by regional governments to manage and regulate fisheries and other anthropogenic activities. Meanwhile, regional governments should invest in research to investigate and identify important cetacean areas in the South China Sea, independent of any political or socioeconomic concerns. This research can inform the design and management of marine protected areas, where guidelines or regulations are needed to control anthropogenic activities, including fishing. Finally, the migratory nature of both fishes and cetaceans requires all South China Sea claimant nations to realize that they have a legal obligation to cooperate on fisheries management. National plans of action against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing need to be harmonized throughout the region, which will both safeguard the food security and livelihoods of the communities in and around the South China Sea and protect vulnerable cetaceans from continued harm.
1. [↵][13]1. P. Wang
, Ed., Chinese Cetaceans (Chemical Industry Press, Beijing, 2011) [in Chinese].
2. [↵][14]CITES, Appendices I, II, and III (2019); |
领域 | 气候变化 ; 资源环境 |
URL | 查看原文 |
引用统计 | |
文献类型 | 期刊论文 |
条目标识符 | http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/273421 |
专题 | 气候变化 资源环境科学 |
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714 | Songhai Li,Mingli Lin,Francesco Caruso,et al. Cetaceans under threat in South China Sea[J]. Science,2020. |
APA | Songhai Li.,Mingli Lin.,Francesco Caruso.,Lijun Dong.,Wenzhi Lin.,...&Alessandro Bocconcelli.(2020).Cetaceans under threat in South China Sea.Science. |
MLA | Songhai Li,et al."Cetaceans under threat in South China Sea".Science (2020). |
条目包含的文件 | 条目无相关文件。 |
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