The earliest pioneer, Yang Hung-chia, worked virtually single-handedly, without any financial support in this endeavor from the institution where he worked, the Taiwan Fisheries Research Institute (TFRI).
鯨類研究在台灣一直相當冷僻，最早投入的楊鴻嘉幾乎都是自行研究，沒有所屬機構台灣省水產試驗所計畫經費的支持。