Volunteers see 997 humpback whales as part of annual counts

Peter Boylan, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser
·2 min read
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Feb. 27—Volunteers on four islands scoured the swells with binoculars Saturday and observed 997 humpback whales during the second of three coordinated counts this year.

Volunteers on four islands scoured the swells with binoculars Saturday and observed 997 humpback whales during the second of three coordinated counts this year.

A total of 345 volunteers perched at vantage points on Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii island helped the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count.

On Maui, volunteers aided the Great Whale Count by the Pacific Whale Foundation, according to a news release.

This is the first year since March 2020 that both programs returned to pre-COVID-19 operations. It is the fifth year that both counts are coordinated on the same days to ensure simultaneous data collection, according to the release.

On Saturday, volunteers set up at 42 locations throughout the four islands. Peak whale watching occurred between 8 :30 and 8 :45 a.m. when 147 whales were spotted, the most of any time period Saturday.

On Kauai, Oahu and Hawaii island, volunteers at 30 sites saw 77 whales during that time. Whale watchers on Maui staffed 12 sites at 15-minute intervals between 8 :30 and 11 :50 a.m. Saturday. A total of 105 whales were observed during that period.

The number of whales observed from Kauai was 64, Oahu volunteers noted 232 sightings and Hawaii island watchers saw 105. Maui reported 596 humpback sightings. The total number of sightings might represent duplicates of the same whale by different observers or at different time periods or different locations throughout the day, according to the release.

The data is used to support research efforts and detect trends in humpback sightings during whale seasons. Volunteers document the whales' behavior while they surface.

Volunteers battled strong wind and moderate swells that made it difficult to see whales from the shoreline, according to the release.

Volunteers also reported seeing Hawaiian monk seals, green sea turtles, spinner dolphins and multiple seabird species.

Both counts take place three times a year on the last Saturday in January, February and March.