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Recently, an unusual whale was spotted in the waters of Jeju. It's a humpback whale, which is a marine protected creature. It is a whale that is not often seen in Japan, so it is attracting attention.

JIBS Kim Dong is a journalist.

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Off the coast of Moon Island, just a few hundred meters from
Seogwipo Port.

A black object swims in the water.

[It's not a dolphin, it's a whale, but it's really....]

and the dorsal fin and head are found to have bumpy bumps.

It is a humpback whale, which is a marine protected species.

[Kim so-yeon/First Witness: It was bigger than a dolphin when it jumped, it was a strange thing, it was amazing....]

It is about 5 meters in size, and considering that an adult is about 15 meters long, it is believed to be a juvenile individual.

The species is widely distributed in waters except the polar regions and the equator, but it was first discovered off the coast of Jeju in 1999 after the National Institute of Fisheries Sciences began whale observation.

So far, it has been caught in nets three times in East Sea, and last year it was observed in the sea once.

As such, humpback whales are lacking in domestic observation records, so there are not many studies on their habitat.

The specimen identified this time is believed to have been swimming in the distant sea and accidentally approached the coast of Jeju.

[Kyung-ri Lee / Researcher, Whale Research Center, National Academy of Fisheries Sciences: Humpback whales have never been found in the vicinity of Jeju in such a close location.

As humpback whales have been identified for the first time in Jeju, there is also a need to expand the research area of large marine life, including whales.

(Video Interview: Kang Myung-cheol JIBS, Screen Credits: Kim so-yeon, Lee Joon-seung, Jung Yoo-jin)

JIBS Kim Dong-eun