Story perspectives

China Offers $73K Rewards for Spy-Equipped Marine Animals

6/13/2026

Summary

China Deploys Spy

China’s Ministry of State Security said agencies are fitting sea turtles, fish and animals with sensors off the coast.
The ministry posted the claim on WeChat, calling it a war of espionage, urging fishermen to report devices, and offering rewards up to 500,000 yuan ($73,000) for turned-in spy gear.
A 2019 beluga whale with a camera harness and a 2023 report of Russian dolphin training near Crimea illustrate similar espionage.

Summary

China Flags Spy

The ministry warned that foreign institutes placed buoys in its waters that can track submarine signatures.
It alleged autonomous wave gliders powered by wave motion and solar energy are gathering oceanographic data and vessel movements.
Officials said seabed beacons discovered in 2024 could guide foreign submarines in South China Sea, East China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
Ministry offered fishermen rewards of 50,000 to 500,000 yuan for turning in spy equipment.

Summary

Russia Trains Dolphins

2023 British intelligence claimed Russia trained bottlenose dolphins in Sevastopol to counter divers.
The report states fishermen could receive rewards ranging from £5,500 to £55,000.
Alleged foreign wave glider devices operate using wave motion and solar energy.
In 2024 the ministry alleged hidden seabed lighthouses were meant to guide foreign submarines.

History

Historical Context

The United States Navy launched its Marine Mammal Program in 1960, training bottlenose dolphins for sonar-guided mine detection and submarine tracking during the Cold War. By fiscal 2007 the Navy spent $14 million on the effort, maintaining about 75 dolphins. Today, China’s 2024 accusations of foreign oceanic sensors echo that early marine-mammal espionage, underscoring renewed naval rivalry.

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China Deploys Spy

China’s Ministry of State Security said agencies are fitting sea turtles, fish and animals with sensors off the coast.
The ministry posted the claim on WeChat, calling it a war of espionage, urging fishermen to report devices, and offering rewards up to 500,000 yuan ($73,000) for turned-in spy gear.
A 2019 beluga whale with a camera harness and a 2023 report of Russian dolphin training near Crimea illustrate similar espionage.

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