#dolphin

From land-borne pathogens to high-speed vessel strikes, Pacific whales and dolphins are caught in a “perfect storm” where human-caused trauma and infectious diseases were found in more than 65% of investigated strandings. A study spanning nearly two decades by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers provides insights into the threats whales and dolphins face in the Pacific Islands. 

For the first time, researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi Health and Stranding Lab have successfully detected Fraser’s morbillivirus, which can cause respiratory and neurological disease, in the feces of a dolphin. The findings published in Marine Mammal Science provide a new tool to identify and monitor threats faced by Hawaiʻi’s marine mammals.

The National Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit in federal court on Wednesday seeking the protection of Hawaiʻi’s 150 resident false killer whales. The lawsuit alleges that officials with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association failed to timely designate critical habitat for the Main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer […]

County ocean safety officers and DLNR personnel are monitoring the near shore waters off of the three Kamaole Beach Parks in Kihei following a confirmed sighting of a shark estimated to be around 10-12 ft in size. The shoreline waters of Kamaole I, II, and III are closed to beachgoers at this time. Ocean safety […]