More than 889 volunteers gathered data from the shores of Oahu, Kauai and Hawaii Island during the second event of the 20th Anniversary Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count. The count is conducted three times per year during peak whale season and is a shore-based census that provides snapshot data on humpback whales. Participants tally humpback whale sightings and document the animals’ surface behavior during the survey. Volunteers collected data from 55 sites statewide.
More than 889 volunteers gathered data from the shores of Oahu, Kauai and Hawaii Island during the second event of the 20th Anniversary Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count. The count is conducted three times per year during peak whale season and is a shore-based census that provides snapshot data on humpback whales. Participants tally humpback whale sightings and document the animals’ surface behavior during the survey. Volunteers collected data from 55 sites statewide.
A total of 105 whales were seen during the 8:30–8:45 a.m. time period, the most of any time period throughout the day’s count. Weather conditions were highly variable. Several sites were canceled due to heavy rains, whereas other sites enjoyed sunshine and calm seas.
“For 20 years, the Sanctuary Ocean Count has proven to be a fun volunteer activity for residents and visitors,” said Malia Chow, sanctuary superintendent.
“It also provides important population and distribution information on humpback whales around the Hawaiian Islands that we use to better understand and protect this important species.”
Preliminary data detailing whale sightings by site is available at: www.sanctuaryoceancount.org/resources.
The final Sanctuary Ocean Counts for 2015 is scheduled for March 28. Interested volunteers may register online at http://sanctuaryoceancount.org. Additional information is available on the sanctuary’s website at http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov or volunteers located on Oahu or Hawaii may call 808-725-5917 and those located in Kauai may call 808-246-2860.
Volunteers are required to register prior to participating. Registration will close one week prior to the event date.
The sanctuary which is administered by a partnership of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the State of Hawai‘i through the Department of Land and Natural Resources, protects humpback whales and their habitat in Hawaiian waters where they migrate each winter to mate, calve and nurse their young.
NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources.