Taitung: Four humpback whales were sighted at the coast of Taitung County's Changbin Township on Tuesday, marking the highest daily count in recent years, according to the Taitung County government.
According to Focus Taiwan, the southeastern Taiwan county announced in a Wednesday news statement that researchers commissioned by the county's Agriculture Department observed a total of four humpback whales on Tuesday after a member of the public filmed a video of breaching humpback whales on Monday.
The researchers initially spotted two humpback whales of similar size breaching multiple times from the southern beach of Changbin's Baxian Cave at around 10 a.m. Later, at approximately 3:30 p.m., two large mammals were seen swimming south from the Jie Bridge service area, around 20 kilometers from the first sighting site.
In addition to the land observations, there were three other reports of humpback whale sightings that day. After verifying the locations, timings, photos, and group formation, the Agriculture Department concluded that two small groups of whales were present in the waters off Taiwan's eastern coast. The department identified one group as a mother whale with her calf.
Cetacean expert Yeh Chien-cheng noted that humpback whales migrate south annually between February and May for mating and nursing. He mentioned that Taiwan's sighting records have remained in single digits in recent years, and it remains uncertain whether the humpback whale population has increased.
The Taitung Agriculture Department encouraged the public to report humpback whale sightings, offering incentives such as gift cards and visual guides of marine animals. They also advised ships and boats to slow down to under 10 nautical miles per hour and to avoid steering toward the whales when sighted.
Whale-watching boats are reminded to adhere to whale-watching regulations, maintaining a safe distance from the animals. The department specifically requested that when encountering a mother with her young, a safe distance of over 100 meters should be observed.