NIFS announced that it conducted aerial surveys on whales across Korean waters last year, finding a total of 3,698 cetaceans of eight species. In this year's survey, NIFS is going to extend the survey scope to the maximum including air defense identification zone (ADIZ).

The aerial survey was conducted by the Cetacean Research Institute of NIFS for the intense survey on population and habitats of various cetaceans in the East Sea, West Sea, and South Sea. 2024 was the first year when the aerial survey was conducted for entire Korean waters.

* Unlike shipboard surveys, aerial surveys enable a wide range of survey regardless of water depth, fish farms, coastlines, etc.  

* In the past, the survey was conducted once or twice every two years in the coastal areas of the West and South Sea. 

According to the 2024 survey, common dolphins accounted for the largest portion(2,362) of total detected individuals, followed by finless porpoises with 905 individuals found in the West Sea and 128 in the South Sea.

Moreover, common dolphins and Risso's dolphins turned out to mainly habitat in the coastal areas of East Sea and offshore waters respectively. Finless porpises showed an even distribution from offshore waters of the West Sea to the coast of South Sea, but they were detected particularly across the West Sea in the spring (the breeding season).

In addition, the first aerial survey conducted in the East Sea confirmed the effectiveness of the sighting survey even in the deep sea with 207 Risso's dolphins and two sperm whales were found.

The Cetacean Research Institute is going to further advance the aerial surveys by extending the survey scope to the maximum of air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in 2025, securing high-quality image data by using high performance cameras and AI technologies, and further improving the accuracy and speed of species identification through the development of AI-based analysis techniques.