1
0Saving spotted seals
拯救斑海豹
Volunteers at the Liaohe River Estuary National Nature Reserve counted a record 393 spotted seals on March 25, the highest number in recent years, according to the Panjin Forestry and Wetland Protection Management Bureau. "Over the past week, we have been able to observe over 200 spotted seals from the Western Pacific basking in the sun on the mudflats every day," said Tian Jiguang, founder of the Panjin Wetland Protection Association in Panjin, Liaoning province.
据盘锦市林业和湿地保护管理局消息，3月25日，辽河口国家级自然保护区的志愿者记录到393头斑海豹，创下近年来的最高纪录。“在过去的一周里，我们每天都能在滩涂上观察到200多头来自西太平洋的斑海豹晒太阳。”盘锦湿地保护协会创始人田继光说。
According to the observations of Tian's team, who counted the spotted seals daily from high-definition images taken by drones, the population of Western Pacific spotted seals in Liaodong Bay was 181 in 2021, 253 in 2022 and 302 last year. The number of spotted seals observed this year has increased by 30 percent compared to 2023.
田继光团队利用无人机拍摄的高清图像每日开展统计，观察数据显示，2021年辽东湾的西太平洋斑海豹数量为181头，2022年增至253头，去年达302头。今年的观察数量比2023年增长了30%。
In February 2021, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs increased the national protection status for Western Pacific spotted seals from level II to level I. The following year, the date April 16 was designated as China's National Spotted Seal Protection Day to promote the conservation of the marine mammal. Tuesday marked the third such day.
2021年2月，国家林业和草原局、农业农村部将西太平洋斑海豹的国家保护等级从二级提升为一级。次年，4月16日被设立为“中国斑海豹保护日”，以加强对这一海洋哺乳动物的保护。今年是第三次纪念该日。
The spotted seal, or Phoca largha, is known as the "Spirit of the Bohai Sea". Similar to bird migration, they can be observed in Liaodong Bay from around October each year. The following May, after breeding, the seals embark on the long journey back to the Pacific.
斑海豹，学名Phoca largha，被称为“渤海精灵”。每年10月前后，它们如候鸟般出现在辽东湾，次年5月完成繁殖后，便踏上返回太平洋的漫长旅程。
Officials from the bureau of agriculture and rural affairs in Panjin's Panshan county said in recent years they have carried out the "returning farmland to wetlands" initiative, restoring 34,780 hectares of coastal wetlands. This initiative has created a favorable breeding and habitat environment for the Western Pacific spotted seals that migrate annually.
盘山县农业农村局有关负责人表示，近年来，当地开展了“退耕还湿”工程，恢复了34,780公顷的滨海湿地，为每年洄游的西太平洋斑海豹提供了良好的繁育和栖息环境。
Spotted seals primarily feed on fish and cephalopods, with their main diet in the reserve being saury fish and crustaceans. "Thanks to the favorable natural environment and abundant marine resources here, and the absence of predators, the winter sea ice serves as a natural birthing ground for the spotted seals," said Tian.
斑海豹主要以鱼类和头足类为食，在保护区内的主要食物包括秋刀鱼和甲壳类。“这里自然环境良好、海洋资源丰富、没有天敌，冬季海冰也为斑海豹提供了天然的产崽平台。”田继光说。
Some 200 kilometers to the south from the Liaodong Bay coast in Panjin, a national-level protection area dedicated to spotted seals has been in place for more than two decades in the waters off the city of Dalian, covering some 560,000 hectares. The observed population of spotted seals at two vital habitats has reached over 560 in recent years, showing an increasing annual trend, according to sources from the administrative bureau of the Dalian National Spotted Seal Nature Reserve.
在距离盘锦辽东湾海岸约200公里的南部，大连市海域已设立国家级斑海豹自然保护区二十余年，面积约为56万公顷。大连斑海豹国家级自然保护区管理局透露，近年来，位于两个重要栖息地观测到的斑海豹数量已超过560头，呈逐年增长趋势。
