Brazilian citizen scientists see humpbacks return decades after mass killings

Humpback whales swim at the coast of Ilhabela, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil July 23, 2023. REUTERS/Leonardo Benassatto

ILHA BELA, Brazil (Reuters) - Julio Cardoso leans over the side of a boat to photograph a humpback whale as it slaps its giant tail into the water off Brazil's southeastern coast.

Like other citizen scientists, as they are known, Cardoso uses the photographs to collect information on the numbers of the marine mammals, helping researchers and scientists track the surging numbers of humpbacks in the area.