NANNING/BANGKOK, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Chen Mo, a researcher focused on Bryde's whales, spends nearly 100 days on Weizhou Island every year, and has amassed more than 6 terabytes of whale-related data on his laptop, including pictures and videos of the animals.
Weizhou Island, located in the Beibu Gulf in southern China, is the youngest volcanic island in China and one of the country's most famous scenic areas.
Chen, a 39-year-old associate researcher with Guangxi Academy of Sciences, led the institution's marine mammal research team in establishing a base on Weizhou Island in 2016, after noticing Bryde's whales in the waters surrounding the island.
"We identified about 10 members of the herd from 2016 to 2018. There are nearly 50 whales now and the herd size is still increasing," Chen said.
"The island and its surrounding waters are believed to be one of the major hunting and breeding zones of Bryde's whales in China," he said, adding that, for years now, his team has been observing the mating behaviors of adult whales as well as mother whales hunting with their babies.
Another habitat of the Bryde's whales is the Gulf of Thailand, located over 1,000 km away from the Beibu Gulf, boasting a well-preserved marine ecosystem and rich food resources.
For the past few years, scientists in the two nations have been working together to jointly protect the Bryde's whales. Chinese scientific research institutions, including the Guangxi Academy of Sciences, established a partnership with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) of Thailand, aiming to share information and resources.
"In 2019, we jointly conducted field surveys with our Thai counterparts in both sea areas near Weizhou Island and the Gulf of Thailand, heralding the start of our cooperation in the field of studies on Bryde's whales and other marine mammals," Chen said.
According to Patcharaporn Yaowasud, a fishery expert with the DMCR, the partnership between the two countries is significant, as the shared information can play a greater role in the protection of Bryde's whales, such as how to safeguard their habitats and establish a more sustainable protection mode.
Bryde's whales enjoy top-level state protection in China. Protecting their feeding grounds environment is crucial to the survival of the species.
In order to protect the environment of Weizhou Island and the surrounding waters, local government in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has banned the use of disposable foam dishware, non-biodegradable plastic bags and plastic films since 2018. Fishing is permanently prohibited in sea areas stretching 6 km off the islet's coastline.
In Thailand, scientists have made greater efforts to research marine debris disposal, aiming to improve the marine environment of the Gulf of Thailand.
Although the joint field investigations are currently suspended due to COVID-19, online exchanges have never been stopped.
"Protecting Bryde's whales is not simply about protecting this species, but also protecting other marine resources," Patcharaporn noted. "Bryde's whales are valuable assets of the whole world. We need to take more care of them." ■
