About 30 cetaceans are stranded in Hong Kong waters every year. The highest recorded number of cetacean stranding cases in a year was 50 (2014), with finless porpoises the most common (about 70% of cases), followed by Chinese white dolphins, and a few other cetacean species.

We interviewed Dr Brian Kot, Visiting Assistant Professor and Research Fellow at City University of Hong Kong. His team was the first to apply virtopsy on stranded cetaceans in Hong Kong and adjacent waters. Virtopsy is used to investigate the cause of death and life history of the stranded cetaceans. This can help analyse the threats they face and facilitate their conservation.