Page 43 - Hualien Sustainable Living Bilingual Magazine

Each year, the foundation and Turumoan Whale Watching work with the Hualien County Government Department of Education to organize the“Family Cetacean Ecology Tour for Children with Disabilities”. The participating children may have hearing, vision, or mobility disabilities, but they can enjoy time in the sun and experience the comforting sea through one-on-one guides and games.“Their expressions really move you. Despite getting splashed by the waves, they still enjoy the feeling of the wind against their skin, the cool waves lapping at their feet, and the warmth of the sun.”Though unspoken, the significance and value of such events are evident to all those working at the foundation when they see the children’s smiling faces.“We're so glad that the children’s first encounter with the ocean is one of comfort instead of fear.”President Lu Shih-Ming of Turumoan Whale Watching said that the most memorable sight for him wasn’t the surprise of cetaceans leaping from the sea, but a terminally ill child telling his dad that he wanted to go fishing at sea.“So many people worked hard to make it happen. I will never forget the sight of that child lying in his dad’s arms, holding a fishing rod.”Having worked with the foundation for so long, Turumoan Whale Watching is happy to play a greater part in the mission to protect the natural ecosystem. Kuroshio has planned even more events for people to experience and get to know the ocean, with subsidies and support from Hualien government agencies. In recent years, Kuroshio has organized numerous marine cultural activities, including promotional lectures, photography exhibitions, and study camps, as well as designing teaching materials, picture books, and programs to monitor coastal environments and beach waste, and international beach cleanups. The foundation strives to raise awareness on marine conservation by imparting marine knowledge and experience. Stationed in the waters of Hualien, Kuroshio carried out the Island Sailing Project, a second tour around the island, in 2018. The project had a particular focus on cetaceans, and was aimed at testing three things: marine waste and microplastics, underwater sound and noise, and seawater oxygen saturation. This would help the foundation better understand how the current marine environment is affecting cetaceans. In the past two years, the foundation has conducted further in-depth cetacean surveys on the east coast. "We hope to gain a better understanding of cetacean ecology and propose more proactive conservation strategies.”These surveys include recording sightings and the numbers of different cetacean species, the environmental conditions for cetaceans to rest and forage, migratory species and seasons, etc. The foundation also analyzes scars found on Risso's dolphins. These surveys help the foundation devise strategies aimed at addressing ship traffic, fishing, marine debris, and other human damage to the environment. For example, one potential solution, which has been successfully applied abroad, would be to install sound devices to help cetaceans avoid hazards.“Cetaceans have sensitive hearing that can perceive these warnings and avoid accidentally coming into contact with fishing nets and fishing gear.” Hualien Issue 38