Fears grow for whale lost at sea in Hong Kong

Timothy Chui, The Standard 20 Mar 09;

Fears are mounting for a humpback whale stranded in Hong Kong waters - despite the latest sighting suggesting it may be heading for the freedom of the open sea.

The 10-meter whale, the first of its kind seen in local waters, came to light on Monday afternoon off East Lamma Channel. It was spotted off Stanley shortly after noon on Wednesday and off Cape D'Aguilar at 11am yesterday.

Ocean Park marine mammal curator Gary Wong Hoi-ming said if it keeps moving in an easterly direction, it may finally find its way back to the ocean.

But he warned: "The whale's arrival here suggests there may be something wrong internally, since healthy animals do not normally get lost.

"Whales usually travel in pods and have their own route so its presence here is of some concern."

Wong said the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation team is keeping tabs on the mammal together with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and his main concern is whether it may find enough food.

"If its condition deteriorates, its stress levels will rise and it will only get more disoriented and may not be able to navigate," Wong said. This would increase the risk of it entering shallower waters and becoming beached.

Although the whale cleared the busier sea lanes of the East Lamma Channel - through which four ocean- going vessels pass each hour - it still faces the risk of being hit by ships or cut by the propellers of smaller craft.

Wong advises people to stay clear of the whale for safety's sake and warns boats may be overturned in its massive wake. He said emergency plans are in place in case the creature runs into trouble, but fears equipment may not be big enough.

Hong Kong Cetacean Research Project director and current Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society chairman Samuel Hung Ka-yiu said photos of the whale have been sent to Japan, the Philippines and the United States to determine whether it has been spotted before.

The Marine Department is warning the public in radio broadcasts to give the creature a wide berth.

Although experts monitoring the whale have yet to give it a name, Wong said the honor should go to the fisheries department.

Odyssey of lost humpback whale melts the heart of Hong Kongers
M&C 19 Mar 09;

Hong Kong - A humpback whale separated from a migrating group of the marine mammals was trying to find its way out of busy shipping lanes around Hong Kong, enthralling the former British colony.

The plight of the 10-metre adult whale made television and newspaper headlines in the normally money-obsessed city, providing a welcome distraction from a tide of bleak economic news.

The humpback whale, the first ever seen in Hong Kong waters, is believed to have become separated from a group of whales migrating from the tropical waters where they spend winter to their summertime Arctic feeding grounds.

It was first spotted surfacing, raising its tail and exhaling water through its blow hole Monday and Tuesday in busy shipping lanes close to Hong Kong's landmark Victoria Harbour.

By Wednesday, it had moved to the south of Hong Kong island and appeared to be heading eastward to the usual northerly migration route for whales in the South China Sea.

Experts said they believe once it finds its way into open waters, it should be able to rejoin other whales and continue its route toward the Arctic.

However, boatloads of sightseers with cameras have headed out to try to track the whale since it was first sighted, and an appeal has been issued for people not to sail too close to the lost whale.

There were also concerns that there is a lack of food for the whale in Hong Kong's heavily polluted waters, where fish stocks are critically low, and the whale could weaken if it fails to find its way out soon.

Whale expert Samuel Hung Ha-yiu, head of a research centre on dolphins and porpoises, told the Hong Kong Standard newspaper that trying to guide the mammal toward open waters could be counterproductive.

'We recommend the government refrain from doing anything outside of monitoring the animal,' he said, adding that trying to usher it out would 'raise its stress levels, making it aggressive and increasing the risk it could head to shore and become beached.'

Photographs of the whale, meanwhile, have been sent to experts in the United States, the Philippines and Japan to try to discover from where it has swum to reach Hong Kong waters.