Abstract: This paper provided the results of the survey on the incidental catches of small cetaceans in coastal waters of China, which was conducted in1994～1995. Finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) was captured most frequently in the Chinese coastal fisheries, while other small cetaceans, including long beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis), bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata), and false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), were caught incidentally. In1994, the annual incidental catches of small cetaceans in coastal waters of Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan and Guangxi were about 3045±2120 individuals, whereas those of finless porpoise were about 2132±1484. The gears for incidental catches were predominantly trawl nets, gillnets, and stow nets. No direct catches of small cetaceans existed in China. The incidentally captured small cetaceans did not occupy an important place in the daily life of people in coastal China, and they were discarded in the sea or sold at a very low price in fish markets. The exact impact of incidental catches on small cetaceans in Chinese waters was not clear at present, but it has probably caused the decline of their populations.

Key words: Coastal waters of China, Small cetaceans, Incidental catches, Survey