Hong Kong is not exactly well known for being eco-friendly when it comes to marine life — what with all the shark fin and illegal abalone trading.
But these fishermen definitely get a pat on the back. They had a special porpoise.
During Chinese New Year, the group rescued what appears to be a finless porpoise caught in a fishing net.
Videos and photos of the catch and release were posted on Sunday in a Facebook group dedicated to fishing in Hong Kong.
It is not clear whereabouts in Hong Kong this video was filmed.
In the videos, the group are first seen pulling the porpoise out of the water — its tail fin caught in a trawler net — and bringing it onto the boat.
As it is carried onto the boat, a man can be heard saying: “It looks like a baby.”
In the next few videos, a man in a high-vis jacket carries the porpoise — now free from the net — into the water and sets it free.
For a moment it looks as though the porpoise is struggling to swim. But finally it swims, and the boat drives alongside it.
Netizens were quick to pass their thanks to the group and praise the fisherman.
With the government seeking to expand the city’s airport and the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge ongoing, conservationists have called on the authorities to do more to protect Hong Kong’s marine life.
The city’s waters are home to both porpoises and dolphins — which the former being typically smaller and more shy than the latter, according to the AFCD.
Around Hong Kong the Chinese white dolphin — also known as the pink dolphin — is under threat because of these construction projects, experts warn.
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