Wei Jie

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TWO rarely seen killer whales were recently spotted foraging in waters around oil fields in eastern South China Sea, around 120 kilometers southeast of Shenzhen.

Their appearance signaled the improvement of the marine ecosystem around the oil production facilities, according to a local marine species researcher.

The black-and-white whales were first seen around the Hai Yang Shi You 115, an FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) facility operated by State-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp. Ltd. Shenzhen Co. (CNOOC China Ltd. Shenzhen), at the end of May, said engineers working on  the facility in eastern South China Sea.

The killer whale, known as wolf of the sea, is the largest member of the dolphin family. Members of this family include all dolphin species, as well as other larger species such as long-finned pilot whales and short-finned pilot whales. It is recognizable by its black-and-white patterned body.

It is actually the world’s largest dolphin, said Shen Xiaoming, a researcher from Dapeng Peninsula Marine Library in Dapeng New Area. “This is the first time that killer whales have been seen in eastern South China Sea, and they are so close to Shenzhen,” he said after seeing a video of the two whales shot by CNOOC engineers.

“This is also the first time that killer whales are so clearly visible in a video recording. I’m so thrilled to see them,” said Shen, who has been dedicated to collecting digital data of marine animals and species in the South China Sea.

(Continued on P3)