A recent study has concluded that the dugong, a marine mammal commonly known as the sea cow, is now “functionally extinct” in China’s coastal waters.
The study by the UK’s National Academy of Sciences was conducted through large-scale interview surveys in the fishing communities along the four Chinese coastal provinces—Hainan, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Fujian. The researchers also collected all available historical dugong records on the dugong in China for analysis.
