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Hawaiian monk seal Rocky (RH58) gave birth to a pup overnight Thursday, and the two were observed resting on a beach in the morning at the Sand Island State Recreation Area of O‘ahu.

In accordance with the Act and NOAA’s Policy for the Assessment of Civil Administrative Penalties and Permit Sanctions, both individuals were jointly assessed a $20,000 civil penalty in the case of an attack by unleashed dogs causing the death of the Hawaiian monk seal pup. 

Members of the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Marine Affairs will plan and execute on the principles of the blue economy, collaborating among stakeholders to develop tangible recommendations for sustainable ocean-related policies and initiatives.

Representatives of fire-related entities from state, national and local levels gathered at Fire Station 14 in Wailea to launch the state’s 8th annual Wildfire and Drought LOOKOUT! campaign on Tuesday.

Hawaiʻi Marine Animal Response announced on Wednesday the launch of the first full-time sea turtle emergency care and rehabilitation facility on Oʻahu.

Research led by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology has led to a new tool for forecasting coral disease that could help conservationists step in at the right times with key interventions. Insights gleaned from the tool can help managers better understand localized risks of coral disease and develop timely strategies for intervention.

The 2024 central Pacific hurricane season outlook from forecasters at NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center and NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, calls for 1–4 tropical cyclones across the central Pacific Hurricane region. A near-normal season has 4 or 5 tropical cyclones, which include tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.

“It was a beautiful purple and greenish tinge visible to the naked eye for about 5 minutes,” Brenda Trowbridge shared on social media. The Nā‘ālehu resident captured the images with a 3-second exposure on her iPhone between 4:26 and 4:31 a.m. on May 11, before the astronomical twilight.

The Maui Nui Marine Resource Council will host the April edition of its “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” featuring Mark Hixon, professor of marine biology at the School of Life Sciences at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, on Wednesday, April 3 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom.

So far in 2024, NOAA has received six confirmed reports of vessel strikes to humpback whales in Hawaiʻi. Within the span of a few weeks in February, a Hawaiian spinner dolphin yearling and a humpback whale calf stranded dead in Hawaiʻi. Both of their injuries were consistent with vessel strike, according to NOAA.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is seeking public input on its draft proposal to designate marine portions of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument as a national marine sanctuary.

The Nature Conservancy first purchased statewide coral reef insurance in 2022. The new policy doubles the area covered – as well as the minimum payout following a damaging hurricane or tropical storm.

Each year between November and May, thousands of Koholā (humpback whales) return to Hawai‘i to breed, give birth and nurse their young. During this special time of year, boaters are reminded to reduce their speed and keep a safe and legal distance around whales.

A total of 2,124 whales were observed throughout the state during the Great Whale Count and Ocean Count held Saturday, Jan. 27. Organizers say this number may represent duplicate sightings of the same whale by different observers or at different time periods or different locations throughout the day.

After paddling miles and hours on the ocean, two kayakers ended up off the shore of Launiupoko, and there it was: a humpback mother whale “tail sailing” beside her calf.

New research reveals a daily pattern pattern for humpback whale songs which dominate the marine soundscape during the winter months off Maui. Researchers with the University of Hawai’i, in partnership with NOAA’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary found that whales move their singing away from shore throughout the day and return to the nearshore in the evening.

Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary welcomes back koholā (humpback whales) and volunteers for the 2024 Sanctuary Ocean Count scheduled for Jan. 27, Feb. 24, and March 30. 

NOAA Fisheries proposes new critical habitat designations for five threatened coral species in the Pacific Islands, focusing on areas essential for coral growth and resilience.

A Hawaiian monk seal was returned to its home in Kaua‘i waters after five months of treatment at the Kona mammal hospital for kidney stones, possible pneumonia and a fractured canine tooth that had become infected.

A team of freedivers from the Honolulu-based nonprofit organization Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project returned on Saturday from a 28 day cleanup expedition to the remote Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.