Over this past weekend on Jan. 25, individuals volunteered to count Hawaii’s visiting humpback whales for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count on Kauai, Oahu, Molokai and Hawaii Island, and the Great Whale Count by Pacific Whale Foundation on Maui and Lanai.
This is the first of three whale counts between the two organizations coordinated for the seventh year to ensure data from throughout the islands are collected simultaneously.
A total of 429 volunteers collected data from 41 sites across the main Hawaiian Islands. They counted a total of 296 whales during the 10 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. time period, the most of any time period throughout the day, according to a news release.
Sanctuary Ocean Count volunteers collected data from 30 shoreline sites on Kauai, Oahu, Molokai and Hawaii Island. They observed 183 whales during the 10 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. time period, the most of any time period throughout the day.
They observed a total of 113 whales during the 10 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. time period, the most of any time period throughout the day.
For the Sanctuary Ocean Count, Kauai saw the highest total number of whales observed throughout the day at 440. On Oahu, the total was 399; on Molokai, 87; and Hawaii Island 493. The Great Whale Count saw 702 whales on Maui for a grand total of 2,121 whales observed throughout the state. Note that the number may represent duplicate sightings of the same whale by different observers at different time periods at different locations throughout the day.
The data collected by volunteers from both organizations combine with other research efforts to help reveal trends in humpback whale occurrence within and among whale seasons, according to the release.
During the first half of the count, sunny skies and calm seas assisted volunteers in gathering data, however, increased wind, ocean swells and white caps hindered viewing during the latter half of the count.
Volunteers also spotted other species including honu (green sea turtles), māno (shark), naiʻa (spinner and bottlenose dolphins), mālolo (Hawaiian flying fish), and multiple bird species such as koaʻe kea (White-tailed Tropicbird), ʻio (Hawaiian hawk), ʻiwa (great frigatebird), mōlī (Laysan albatross), noio kōhā (brown noddy), nēnē (Hawaiian goose) and others.
The annual whale count occurs during the peak whale season in January, February and March. Upcoming counts are on Feb. 22 and March 29.
The Sanctuary Ocean Count, supported by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, raises public awareness about humpback whales, the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and shore-based whale watching opportunities. Sign up to volunteer for the Sanctuary Ocean Count.
The Great Whale Count by Pacific Whale Foundation is part of a long-term survey of humpback whales in Hawaii and is one of the world’s longest-running community science projects. Sign up to volunteer for the Great Whale Count.
