A pod of Bryde's whales were spotted near Beihai's Weizhou Island in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region at the end of March.

With an improved marine ecosystem due to China's stricter pollution control, the marine mammals have been frequently found in China's inshore area in recent years, according to Chen Bingyao, associate professor of life sciences at Nanjing Normal University.

The local authority of Weizhou Island has launched a regular marine patrol with coast guard officers to protect the herd of whales and target illegal hunting.