“The dolphin is clever, cute, kind, active and inoffensive. Exactly the character of Hong Kong.” So said a local member of a committee appointed by China to oversee the end of British rule over Hong Kong in 1997. The body had decided that the {0}pink dolphin{1}, a rare type sometimes seen {2}cavorting in the territory’s harbour,{3} would be a mascot of the handover festivities. Since then, however, the animal’s fate has not been an encouraging portent of the territory’s post-colonial progress. Hong Kong’s dolphins are in perilous decline.
粉紅海豚，學名為中華白海豚，剛出生時通體呈白色，長至成年則變為粉紅色，是海豚中的珍稀品種。這種海豚常棲息於珠三角地區入海口鹹水與淡水的交匯水域，因此，不時可在香港港口見到它們的身影。1996年，“香港各界慶祝迴歸委員會”將粉紅海豚選為97年香港迴歸慶祝活動的吉祥物。慶委會副主席鄔維庸在談到海豚會徽時說道：“小海豚聰明可愛，友善活潑，溫和可人，代表的正是香港特色”。不過，香港迴歸後，該地區的粉紅海豚卻數量銳減，其命運十分令人擔憂。
They belong to a type of dolphin that lives off China’s shores called {0}sousa chinensis{1}, or the Chinese White (though they are grey when born and pinkish as adults). They prefer the brackish water of estuaries, where they are threatened by fishing and water-polluting factories. In Hong Kong there is a different danger: the relentless building of megastructures, including one of the world’s longest bridges. Before the British left they built an airport on 938 hectares (2,300 acres) of reclaimed land: a new runway is planned that will require 650 more.
由於過度捕魚，以及工廠排汙造成的水質汙染，中華白海豚的生存環境遭到了嚴重的威脅。在香港，中華白海豚還面臨著另外一個威脅：接踵而來的大型工程項目的建設施工。這其中包括世界上最長的跨海大橋，即港珠澳大橋的建設施工，也包括香港國際機場第三條跑道的擴建——香港迴歸前，英國殖民者填海造路938公頃，在人工島上建起了香港國際機場，而擴建一條新跑道還需要再填海造陸650公頃。
Such work appears to be driving the dolphins farther away. In a survey conducted in 2003, scientists spotted 188 dolphins around Lantau island, the animal’s main habitat in Hong Kong and the site of the airport. In 2015 they saw just 65. Experts are not convinced that the animals are safer when they move elsewhere along China’s coast. In 2010 there were thought to be 2,500 dolphins in the Pearl river delta (which includes Hong Kong)—the largest known group. But their numbers there are falling by around 2.5% annually, say scientists at the University of Hong Kong.
這些大型工程項目很可能將導致香港地區的中華白海豚被迫離開家園。2003年的一項調查顯示，科學家在香港大嶼山附近海域發現188只中華白海豚，截至2015年，海豚數量已驟減至65條。大嶼山附近海域是中華白海豚的主要棲息地，同時也是機場所在地。有關專家認為，即使中華白海豚沿著中國海岸遷徙至其他地方，也不一定安全。2010年，珠江三角洲（包括香港）海域的海豚，據估計大約有2500只，為已知的最大種群。然而，香港大學有關科學家表示，這一種群的規模正以每年2.5%左右的速度減少。
The government of Hong Kong appears half-hearted about protecting them. An official website promoting Lantau’s attractions uses pictures of the wrong species. Janet Walker of Hong Kong Dolphinwatch, which runs dolphin-spotting tours, complains that other boats sometimes ignore a code of conduct requiring them to keep away from the animals. The government, she says, are not keen on stricter enforcement.
儘管如此，香港政府似乎並未對保護中華白海豚給予足夠的重視。在大嶼山官方的旅遊宣傳網站上，顯示為中華白海豚的圖片實際上是另一種海豚。一家組織白海豚觀賞團的旅遊機構，香港海豚觀察（Hong Kong DolphinWatch）的資深導遊珍妮特•沃爾克（Janet Walker）抱怨稱，時有船隻違反與海豚保持距離的規定，而政府也無意加強執法。
Officials have pledged to open more “marine parks” where dolphin-threatening activities will be banned. But one that is planned around the airport will not open until 2023, when the new runway is due to open. Samuel Hung, who runs a government-funded study of the dolphins, says there is “no way” the animals will tolerate the disruption caused by the runway’s construction.
香港政府官員曾經承諾要開放更多“海洋公園”，並在園內禁止一切對海豚有害的商業表演。不過，機場附近規劃的海洋公園要到2023年才會正式對外開放，屆時新機場跑道也將投入運營。目前正在從事一項政府資助的海豚研究的洪家耀（Samuel Hung）博士表示，白海豚“根本沒有辦法”承受機場建設帶來的生態破壞。
On July 1st Hong Kong will mark 20 years of Chinese rule. On the harbour- front, a sign promoting a celebratory event features a bright pink, winking dolphin. If the government wants to make use of delphinoid imagery in another 20 years, it will be embarrassing if none is left.
今年7月1日是香港迴歸祖國20週年紀念日。為宣傳慶祝活動，香港港口豎起了一隻眨眼的粉紅海豚的標誌。如果未來20年這個標誌一直在，而中華白海豚卻徹底絕跡，香港政府恐怕會顏面掃地。
編譯： 朱桀
審核： 吳越
編輯：翻吧君
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