In the realm of marine biodiversity conservation, understanding the dynamics between species' spatial distributions, habitat utilization, and human impacts is crucial. This knowledge is indispensable for marine spatial planning, facilitating the identification and mitigation of conflicts between human activities and the conservation goals of marine ecosystems. The East Asian finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis sunameri), classified as endangered by the IUCN Red List, is the only cetacean routinely observed in the vicinity of the Miaodao Archipelago. To identify key areas for this species and assess the impact of human activities, boat-based surveys were conducted from 2019 to 2023, covering 6220 km