Guardians of the blue planet: Preserving rare species in Liaodong Bay

World Maritime Day is observed on September 25. The 2025 theme is "Our ocean, our obligation, our opportunity." This theme underscores the ocean's vital role in sustaining life, livelihoods and the global economy and emphasizes that safeguarding marine environments is both a responsibility and a chance for innovation and cooperation.

Liaodong Bay, the northernmost bay in China, stretches over 1,200 kilometers of coastline and is part of the Bohai Sea, which links to the Yellow Sea through the Bohai Strait. The bay is covered with thick ice from winter to early spring, yet it remains full of life.

"Bird waves" form spectacular scenes as seabirds arrive to feed after long migrations. The Liaohe River Estuary in Panjin City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, provides a distinctive environment that draws spotted seals from afar.

The spotted seal, a first-class state-protected species, sees Liaodong Bay as its major breeding ground. Local authorities and conservation groups have strengthened protection measures, including habitat monitoring and rescue of orphaned pups, to safeguard this rare marine mammal and sustain the bay's ecological vitality.

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