Around Hachijojima in the Izu Islands, the first seminar was held for people involved in diving in an attempt to use whale watching of humpback whales as a tourism resource for the island.
Around Hachijojima, a flock of humpback whales has been seen frequently for about five years, and a total of more than 500 humpback whales were confirmed last year under investigation by Tokyokaiyo University and others.
In response to this, the town's tourism association held the first seminar in Hachijo Town on the 10th to make whale watching a tourism resource for the island, for people involved in diving.
At the seminar, Mr. Ryosuke Okamoto of Tokyokaiyo University gave a lecture, explained the situation of whale watching in each place, and said, "The ship may stress the whale and it is necessary to keep an appropriate distance" to the whale. I pointed out that it is necessary to pay attention to the influence of.
He also explained that it is important to take measures against the infection of the new coronavirus, such as measures to prevent congestion on board and preparation of check sheets to check the physical condition of passengers.
The man who participated said, "There are stories that can be applied in the future, such as the example in Ogasawara, and I want to make use of it."
In addition, Shingo Tamura, the secretary general of the Hachijojima Tourism Association, said, "I want to continuously improve my guide skills and grow whale watching significantly."