关键词: 海洋哺乳动物, 活体采样, 动物保护, 无损伤性

Abstract: Cetaceans are top predators in the marine food chain; they are of great interest to scientists in studies relating to marine environmental protection worldwide. It is normally very hard for scientists to access wild cetaceans. To conduct research into wild cetaceans without threatening their lives, a remote biopsy sampling (RBS) method was devised. The first RBS system was developed from a cetacean harpoon in 1973. Since then, cetacean RBS systems have been improved in the sequence “Harpoon-Crossbow-Compound bow-Air gun-Pole”. During this course of development, the invasiveness of the RBS system in the animals has been a core issue of concern for scientists. Therefore, many studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of RBS systems on cetaceans, and RBS was finally concluded to be a non-invasive method. It has thus has become a popular and important method for wild cetacean sample collection in many parts of the world. There are abundant cetacean resources in China. However, the RBS method is seldom used in Chinese wild cetacean research; only one such RBS attempt has been reported, on the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) in Hong Kong waters. Therefore, there is great potential for the application and development of RBS tools for use in cetacean studies in China. In the present study, we first briefly introduce the history of RBS development and its application in cetacean research worldwide, and then document the potential value of this method in cetacean research in China. Finally, we assess the future prospects of Chinese cetacean studies for genetics, toxicology, cytology and reproductive endocrinology.

Key words: Marine mammals, Biopsy sampling, Animal conservation, Noninvasiveness