#Hawaiian Islands humpback whale national marine sanctuary

Maui Ocean Center will celebrate World Ocean Day with family-friendly activities including live music, educational stations and marine naturalist presentations from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 8.

Volunteers on Saturday counted a total of 1,947 whales, including 802 on Maui, 153 on Molokaʻi, 263 on Hawaiʻi Island, 321 on Kauaʻi and 408 on Oʻahu. The count was part of the second coordinated effort this season by the Pacific Whale Foundation and the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

The total number for the Great Whale Count on Maui was 702, for a grand total of 2,121 throughout the state.

Two humpback whales were freed of life-threatening entanglements on Jan. 8 and 9 off the coast of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. These most recent responses bring the total number of humpback whale entanglement cases since mid-December to eight.

Responders are working with staff from the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary to tow the whale remains offshore for disposition, as requested by Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners.

In the heart of Māʻalaea Village, nestled on Maui’s south shore, a community’s love for the land drives its dual battle against environmental degradation and wildfire risk. This close-knit village, a hub for marine research and education, is home to the Hawaiʻian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Keʻālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge, and visitor treasures like the Maui Ocean Center and the Pacific Whale Foundation.

The Maui Nui Marine Resource Council will host the October edition of its “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” featuring Maria Harvey, on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Outrigger Resorts & Hotels has renewed its partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are having a positive spillover effect, producing more “trophy-size” fish just outside of the fully protected areas, and the effect is growing stronger over time.

World Ocean Day is held each year on June 8 to “help unite and rally the world to protect and restore our blue planet.” Maui Ocean Center will celebrate World Ocean Day with family-friendly activities including live music, art projects and marine naturalist presentations from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 8. Discounted admission for kama‘āina, with valid Hawaiʻi state ID, is $10 per person (ages 3 and younger are free).

There were a total of 2,141 whales observed throughout the main Hawaiian Islands during the day’s count with 948 whales observed from Maui, 86 from Molokaʻi and 39 from Lānaʻi. On Kaua‘i, the total number of whales observed during the count was 239, on O‘ahu, the total was 363, and on Hawai‘i Island, 466 whales were observed.

A whale calf spotted in distress off of Māʻalaea Bay on Maui Friday, is likely suffering from blunt force injuries caused by a vessel strike, according to researchers with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

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.

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 is investing $17 million from the Inflation Reduction Act in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary to improve the climate resilience of the Kīhei, Maui visitor and community center. The facility’s beachfront location makes it vulnerable to climate change impacts, including upland flooding, powerful storms and sand inundation.

The rowers will spend June — National Ocean Month — on the Pacific Ocean, rowing to the Hawaiian Islands and finishing their journey in Hanalei Bay, Kaua’i, in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

The total number for the Great Whale Count on Maui was 313, for a grand total of 1,121 throughout the state.

A total of 596 humpback whales were observed during the Great Whale Count on Maui, for a grand total of 997 spotted throughout the state. On Maui, Great Whale Count volunteers collected data from 12 sites during 15-minute intervals between 8:30 a.m. and 11:50 a.m. A total of 105 whales were observed during the 11:30-11:45 a.m. time period, the most of any time period throughout the day’s count. 

A subadult humpback whale was freed from a life-threatening entanglement of rope and buoys during a NOAA-led team response on Tuesday off Hawaiʻi Island’s Kona coast.