<Anchor>
These days, various types of whales are frequently appearing on the east coast.
The number of people getting caught in nets has also increased, but it is the first time since the investigation began that even rare species such as the killer whale and sperm whale appear so frequently.
This is reporter Baek Haeng-won from G1 Broadcasting.
<Reporter>
A whale took up the freezer.
It is 4.15 m long and weighs 1,000 kg.
This is a black killer whale found dead in a net off Jumunjin on the 16th.
The black killer whale, which is mainly distributed in the deep waters of the tropical to temperate zone, is a rare species that has not been seen in Korea.
Because the killer whale is designated as a marine protected species, it cannot be sold, so it will be stored in a freezer and donated for research purposes later.
Two months ago, a sperm whale, the first vulnerable species in Korea, emerged from the waters off the coast of Sokcho and spewed water.
A total of 17 whales and dolphins were caught in Tokyo this year.
This is an increase of 54% from the same period last year, and the number of species was diverse, from the bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, and minke whale to the protected species of southern blue dolphin.
Recently, the National Institute of Fisheries and Fisheries Research conducted a visual inspection of whales in the East Sea, and rare whales such as black killer whales, sperm whales, and killer whales, which had been rarely seen before, were simultaneously sighted.
This is the first time since the annual survey has been conducted since 1999.
[Yoo Jun-taek / Researcher, Whale Research Center, National Academy of Fisheries Science: Rarely (on the coast of Korea), research on these (rare) species or specific ecological information is very lacking.
The reason for the sighting is not clearly known, and further research is needed (required.)]
The Coast Guard said that none of the whales caught so far were found to be illegally caught. I asked you to report it.
(Video coverage: Jo Eun-gi G1 Broadcasting)