NIFS announced it started the pilot live streaming service ‘Cetacean in S. Korean waters’ on July 22 which monitors Tursiops aduncus in real-time. 

The streaming video is being recorded in real-time at the Tursiops aduncus monitoring station located at the beach of Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do which was established with the assistance provided by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. The video footage is broadcast live online on YouTube channel of Cetacean Research Institute of NIFS (youtube.com/@cri0202) on a weekday morning and afternoon. The live broadcast can change depending on the weather conditions. 

The live 360-degree video streaming provides a lively scene of cetacean searching and the real time notification on appearance is also available through the Kakao open chat room (https://open.kakao.com/o/glnlXqHh)

An insider of NIFS said, “As it is not easy to find Jeju Tursiops aduncus at any given moment, it is recommended to join the open chat room. Even if the dolphin is not found, viewers can still watch the Jeju haenyeo’s muljil and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Jeju waters. So don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell.” 

NIFS has been studying the distribution, ecology, and behavior of cetacean in the coastal of S. Korean waters for a long time and recently explores avenues for human-whale coexistence. The service is the first case in Korea to provide video contents for the people to enjoy the process of whale observation. 

At the same time, NIFS will provide the video footage on its YouTube channel and a website popup (www.nifs.go.kr) to make it easy for anyone to watch at any time. 

NIFS and the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office will cooperate to provide more diverse videos by installing additional cameras in the coastal areas which are the hot spot for Jeju Tursiops aduncus sightings. 

The President of NIFS said, “The service was conceived based on the fact that many tourists have to wait for a long time to see whales in person. Going forward, NIFS will expand its research and services enabling local communities and the people to directly experience and benefit.”