Stranded dolphins helped back to deep water

Six dark gray dolphins stranded off the coast of Fujian province were rescued and released back into deeper water to the sea on Thursday.

They were first spotted in shallow water in Fuzhou's Shapu town on Thursday morning. Government departments came to help the animals after receiving reports. No injuries to the dolphins were noted.

Even though the tide was rising, the rescuers decided to transfer the dolphins to deep water to avoid their being stranded again at the next low tide.

At about 10:45, the dolphins were released back into the sea.

The marine fishery law-enforcement brigade of Fuqing said the dolphins were under second-class state protection in China.

With improvements in the marine environment, dolphins often appear in areas of Shapu. 

Feng Xiaojie in Beijing contributed to this story.