Pygmy blue whale: Timor-Leste’s citizen scientists are helping with research.

For about two months each year, fisherman Faustino Moloko da Cunha and his son Zacaria spend most of their days in a dugout canoe in the Pacific Ocean.

Armed with binoculars and a telephoto camera, they scour Cobalt’s waters for one of its greatest treasures – the pygmy blue whale.

When one is seen, this subsystem goes off.

A team based in Da Kuna’s village – called Sabaon – sends a drone. Then the team leader, Australian marine ecologist Karen Adion, guides the drone operator to get the best photos. When the drone returns, the team reviews the images, taking notes on a white board.

It is a small and frugal operation in Timor-Leste, part of a peninsula that lies between Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. But it has produced a wealth of information about pygmy blue whales – one of the largest animals on Earth, whose vast habitat and elusive nature make them difficult to study.

These citizen researchers, all of whom are local, have seen around 3,000 pygmy blue whales in the past 10 years – a number Professor Adiwan considers a “really extraordinary” number.

Timor-Leste has one of the largest marine mammal populations in the world.

During migration season – October and November – hundreds of pygmy blue whales pass through the country’s waters as they make their epic journey of thousands of kilometers from South Australia to the Banda Sea, north of Timor-Leste.

But little research has been done in this area, says Prof Adiwan, who started the monitoring program in 2014.

During whaling season over the past decade, he has based himself in Sabaon, about 50 kilometers (31 mi) from the capital, Delhi, and has teamed up with fishermen, students and diving tour operators to spot cetaceans. Working to document.

Professor Edwin, who lectures at the Australian National University and Charles Darwin University, says he has “documented some of the best-known, intimate reproductive behaviors of blue whales, some for the first time”.

For example, in July, the team captured underwater footage of a mother nursing her calf, providing a glimpse into the species’ largely unknown reproductive behaviors.

“It’s very, very exciting,” she adds.

The project began as a Facebook group, inviting local volunteers to explore and document the lives of pygmy blue whales.

Professor Adion trained them in surveying methods and hired professionals to teach them how to use telephoto cameras and drones to conduct aerial and boat surveys.

“When local people living along the coast see whales swimming, they post pictures on Facebook and WhatsApp. The updates come on a real-time basis and everyone gets excited when someone shares something. It does,” says Prof Edwin.

In 2016, the team worked with a dive tour operator to launch the first whale-watching tour.

It was only last year that they set up a “research station” outside Da Kuna’s village home – photos show a simple hut overlooking the bay. Outside, two tables, plastic chairs and whiteboards are fixed on the walls of the hut.

During this year’s whale season, undergraduates from the National University of East Timor gathered at the research station to help with sightings.

Even such infrastructure has made the task easier.

“We are able to monitor all day and all night,” says Professor Adion. “We’ve also been able to get the most incredible footage. The whales come so close that sometimes we can hear their beats.”

Such citizen researchers have become powerful eyes and ears on land for marine scientists, says wildlife scientist Vanessa Perrotta.

“The combination of drones and people having access to tools like social media means we have an insight into what’s going on while we behind desk writing grants to fund our work,” he said. May be,” he said.

The increase in research activities in Sabaon has also led to an increase in tourism.

Demand for whale-watching tours has increased, diving instructor Cassio Schumacher tells the BBC, adding that the tours are “booked out years in advance”.

Local non-profit organizations have warned of the dangers of unregulated whaling tourism and the government has said it plans to use Professor Adiwan’s research to “fully conserve and protect” the marine life that passes through Timor-Leste’s waters. is

Professor Adiwan believes that with regulation, whale tourism has the potential to create jobs and boost Timor-Leste’s economy.

According to the International Monetary Fund, the country is one of the poorest in the world, with an average annual income in cities around $1,500. In Sabaon, most villagers work as fishermen and farmers, earning around $600 to $900 a year.

The Da Cunha family has now started preparing food from local produce and day trips for students and tourists – an additional source of income.

“We had a great time with the guests and we’d love to do it again,” Faustino, 51, tells the BBC over a WhatsApp video call. “We will make it a better experience. [next season]”

His son Zakaria has also been contracted to provide drone services for the project. Professor Adion says she plans to train him to talk about whales in English.

What he appreciates, the 26-year-old says, is that the visitors are learning to defend the area: “University students learn quickly and well to defend the area.”

As for tourists, he says the locals are happy to teach them. “We remind tourists to watch the whales from a distance instead of swimming with them.”