AI-Powered Protection of Chinese White Dolphins

Between the calm waters and blue skies that frame Xiamen Bay, sleek gray and pink shapes are often seen arcing out of the sea - a behavior that serves multiple purposes, including increasing speed, communication, and stunning prey.

Meet the Chinese white dolphin. Known in China as the 'pandas of the sea', they are one of the rarest marine mammals in the world and a national first-tier protected wild animal.

But these dolphins are not just an icon of Xiamen Bay. They are an important indicator of offshore ecosystem health and a vital facet of the nearshore marine ecosystems that serve as significant carbon sinks. By feeding on fish that consume plankton, which in turn absorb carbon dioxide and fix carbon through photosynthesis, Chinese white dolphins indirectly participate in the carbon cycle that runs through the food chain, making their protection and that of their habitats crucial for addressing climate change.

Chinese white dolphin in the Xiamen Bay (Image credit: Dr. Zeng Qianhui, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources)

However, the habitats of these creatures are threatened by human activity, including shipping, fishing, and coastal engineering projects. Classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, noise pollution, habitat loss, and entanglement in fishing gear are endangering their survival in the wild. To guide effective measures that can help their population thrive, it’s crucial to accurately identify the dolphin’s movements and the threats they face.

From Manual Monitoring to Intelligent Recognition

Over the past decade, researchers have used cameras to record when the dolphins break the surface. More than 300,000 images have powered an individual identification database, with researchers able to recognize ‘old friends’ at a glance based on the dorsal fin patterning.

However, manual monitoring cannot systematically monitor these sea creatures. Dolphins migrate and search for food. And when hunting, they stay submerged for long periods, making their movements difficult to track. After collecting data, researchers need to filter useful materials from a massive number of videos and photos to collect useful research data.

Screenshot of the model training process

Just like human faces, the dorsal fins of Chinese white dolphins have unique spots and notches, based on which individual animals can be identified.

Today, AI is making this possible. The Third Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Huawei TECH4ALL have developed a feature recognition system for Chinese white dolphins. The platform covers image preprocessing, AI-powered inference and recognition, dorsal fin image cropping, data classification, and cloud display.

Interface of the Chinese white dolphin feature recognition system

Since its launch three months ago, the system has collected 2,820 images and videos, identified 13 individual dolphins, and improved data labeling efficiency fourfold. The AI model's accuracy for individual dolphin recognition surpasses 90%, and the recognition rate for the complex behaviors of Chinese white dolphins has reached to 85%. Each Chinese white dolphin has its own file, allowing researchers to track their status. With long-term data critical to formulating protection measures, researchers can see the number, distribution, age structure, and breeding behavior of the dolphins in Xiamen Bay, as well as the threats they face.

Building a Sustainable Future Together

Since the 1990s, the Third Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources has been active in the conservation of Chinese white dolphins in Xiamen Bay. With the introduction of AI, surveys are now more efficient and conservation efforts more precise. Data reveals that adult Chinese white dolphins in Xiamen Bay account for 51% of the population, with an average reproductive interval of 4.27 years for 13 females, resulting in 2 or 3 calves per year. The next 10 to 15 years will be a critical period for the growth of the population. The data on individual survival, reproductive dynamics, and social interactions provided by the AI recognition system form an essential basis for developing conservation measures. Wang Xianyan,
Leader of the Marine Endangered Species Research and Conservation Team, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources

Chinese white dolphins in the Xiamen Bay (Image credit: Dr. Zeng Qianhui, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources)

Chinese white dolphins in Xiamen Bay are one of eight populations in China's southeast coastal areas.

With the continued efforts of research coupled with the application of AI, the secret lives of the Xiamen Bay population are gradually being revealed, giving hope for their continued survival.