The Chinese white dolphin is nicknamed the giant panda of the sea due to its rarity. But in recent years, the population has seen steady growth, including in Zhanjiang, south China's Guangdong Province. Reporter Guo Meiping is there, hoping to catch a glimpse of the unique marine species.

GUO MEIPING Zhanjiang "I'm now at the Naozhou Island Port, getting ready to take a boat to Leizhou Bay. Hopefully I'll be lucky enough to spot the Chinese white dolphin today."

The Chinese white dolphin has been placed under first-class state protection in China. It has a global population of only around 6,000.

GUO MEIPING Zhanjiang "This is Leizhou Bay. It's home to the world's second-largest population of Chinese white dolphins. Look! There's a pod of them right in front of us. So beautiful! Local fishermen said there wasn't a good chance of seeing them due to the weather. I guess I'm just pretty lucky."

The population of Chinese white dolphins in Zhanjiang has remained stable in recent years. Experts attribute this to the country's efforts to protect the marine environment, including the establishment of marine conservation areas, the deployment of artificial reefs, and the strict enforcement of the fishing moratorium system.

YANG FENG Senior Engineer Ocean and Fishery Bureau of Zhanjiang City "We are becoming increasingly strict and scientific in our management of protected marine areas and ecological red lines."

CAI HUAGUANG Sailor "Local fishermen take good care of Chinese white dolphins. The government doesn't allow them to cast nets in dolphin habitats. And if fishermen catch any dolphins outside of these habitats, they immediately release them back into the wild."

China has officially recorded over 28,000 marine species in its coastal waters, accounting for just over 10 percent of the global total. A white paper on marine environmental protection released on the eleventh of July says this makes it one of the most biodiverse nations in the world. Guo Meiping, CGTN, Zhanjiang of Guangdong Province.