Bubble Hunters Topic of Maui Whale Talk

By Wendy Osher

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary hosts a talk tonight on the social foraging ecology of Alaskan humpback whales.

The lecture, entitled “Alaska’s Humpback Whales: The Bubble Hunters,” will be led by Dr. Fred Sharpe, who teaches animal behavior at Simon Fraser University.

Dr. Sharpe has authored several books, is a member of the Alaska Stranding Network, and is also a founding board member and principal investigator of the Alaska Whale Foundation.

The presentation runs from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at the Sanctuary Conference Room, located at 726 South Kihei Road on Maui.

The sanctuary is administered by a partnership of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the State of Hawai‘i through the Department of Land and Natural Resources.  The sanctuary works to protect humpback whales through research, education, conservation and stewardship.

Humpback whales migrate to Hawai’i on an annual basis during the winter months to mate and give birth.

The first official Maui sighting of the season was reported outside of Ma’alaea Harbor on October 15, 2012. The whale season in Hawai’i traditionally runs from November through May.