The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs establishes China's first important habitat for Bryde's whales.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued an announcement today establishing the Beibu Gulf Weizhou Island Bryde's Whale Important Habitat in Guangxi, filling the gap in the protection of habitats for large whales in China's coastal waters and setting an important benchmark for safeguarding marine biodiversity and protecting the marine fishery ecological environment. The Weizhou Island Bryde's Whale Important Habitat established this time covers a sea area of 335.43 square kilometers, with a fishing ban period lasting 8.5 months, including a special fishing ban from December each year to April of the following year, combined with the South China Sea summer fishing moratorium from May 1 to August 16 each year. The Bryde's whale is a globally migratory marine species and a national first-class protected wild animal. From December to April each year, the waters around Weizhou Island in Beibu Gulf, China, have abundant prey and excellent habitat, and large numbers of Bryde's whales migrate to these waters as scheduled to feed, inhabit, grow and develop. Since monitoring began in 2018, more than 70 individuals have been identified in the Weizhou Island waters, forming a wild population with a stable structure and clear activity patterns. The designation of this important Bryde's whale habitat, accompanied by the implementation of a fishing ban system, plays an important role in ensuring individual survival, maintaining sustainable population development, and carrying out coordinated global protection of Bryde's whales. At the same time, it can further strengthen targeted protection of the habitat, effectively reduce disturbances from human activities such as fishing operations, vessel navigation, and whale-watching tourism, and promote the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature.