Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Integr Zool. 2021 Jul;16(4):626-635. doi: 10.1111/1749-4877.12525. Epub 2021 Mar 14.
Citizen science is a popular method for the long-term monitoring of the distribution of wild animals. The application of these methods in different species and environments still poses challenges, especially for aquatic animals. In this study, we investigated the distribution of the Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni) in the Beibu Gulf of China by using scientific boat-based surveys and citizen science approaches using 2 different methods of data collection. First, we built our mobile app (Whale Guard) and installed it on fishermen's phones. Second, we used a popular instant messaging app (WeChat) to create an online fisherman community. We found that the mobile phone app collected far fewer reports (5 reports) than the online community group (42 reports, P < 0.01). By using a variety of incentives, we maintained the fisherman's community's activity without significant user loss (P < 0.01). We also found that the locations collected by social media applications in this study were consistent with observations from scientific boat-based transect surveys. The sightings distribution of Bryde's whales differed from those in previous surveys in that they were present across larger areas. Social media apps reported that 69% of reports was confirmed by more than one person, whereas Whale Guard reports were much lower (0, P <0.001). Community-based citizen science can greatly contribute to the long-term monitoring of Bryde's whales, and it has successfully overcome the challenges of data accessibility, accuracy, and fragmentation. Our study shows how to appropriately use citizen science in different community groups and community-based approaches make them useful for large baleen whale surveys.
公民科学是一种用于长期监测野生动物分布的流行方法。这些方法在不同物种和环境中的应用仍然存在挑战，特别是对于水生动物。在这项研究中，我们通过使用科学船基调查和公民科学方法，使用 2 种不同的数据收集方法，调查了中国北部湾布氏鲸（Balaenoptera edeni）的分布情况。首先，我们构建了我们的移动应用程序（Whale Guard）并将其安装在渔民的手机上。其次，我们使用流行的即时通讯应用程序（微信）创建了一个在线渔民社区。我们发现移动应用程序收集的报告远远少于在线社区群组（42 份报告，P <0.01）。通过使用多种激励措施，我们维持了渔民社区的活动，而没有显著的用户流失（P <0.01）。我们还发现，本研究中社交媒体应用程序收集的位置与科学船基横断调查的观察结果一致。布氏鲸的目击分布与以前的调查不同，它们分布在更大的区域。社交媒体应用程序报告称，69%的报告得到了不止一人的证实，而 Whale Guard 的报告则低得多（0，P <0.001）。基于社区的公民科学可以极大地促进布氏鲸的长期监测，并且成功克服了数据可访问性、准确性和碎片化的挑战。我们的研究表明如何在不同的社区群体中适当使用公民科学，并展示了基于社区的方法如何使它们对大型须鲸调查有用。
