GUANGZHOU — The number of Chinese white dolphins in South China's Guangdong province has reached about 1,100, according to a survey conducted from 2017 to 2021.

The survey, which was conducted in a national nature reserve for Chinese white dolphins in the Pearl River estuary, saw their numbers grow from 937 to about 1,100 in five years.

Meanwhile, the proportion of juvenile dolphins grew from less than 10 percent to 13 percent, showing an improved age structure in the reserve.

Chinese white dolphins are under first-class state protection and the Pearl River Estuary is a major habitat for the species in China.

According to the reserve, the steady increase of the dolphins' population is closely related to China's strengthening of marine ecological environment protection in recent years.