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Pacific Whale Foundation
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
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Photos available upon request
MA'ALAEA (MAUI), HI - A total of 1,010 humpback whale sightings were recorded by more than 200 volunteers, during the 2009 Great Maui Whale Count, an annual event conducted by the nonprofit Pacific Whale Foundation. The count took place today, Saturday, February 28.
One monk seal, which had hauled itself out onto the beach in Kahana, in West Maui, was also reported.
The volunteers worked from 13 counting sites, along the south and west shore of Maui, in an area stretching from Makena Beach to Kapalua, and also on Maui's north shore at Hookipa. The count took place during a window of about three hours, between 8:30 and 11:40 a.m.. The volunteers, equipped with binoculars, compasses and data sheets, worked alongside Pacific Whale Foundation researchers and staff.
The weather was better for counting rainbows rather than whales at some of the sites in West Maui, where intermittent showers and gusty winds added to the challenge of locating whales. At Kapalua, there was steady rain throughout the count.
This year's count of 1,010 sightings was down from last year's count, which had been a record year, reporting 1,726 whale sightings. Last year's weather was sunny with no clouds, with just a light breeze, little glare and very flat, calm seas.
"While the rain could be implicated in the lower counts that we saw at the West Maui locations, we still had lower counts than last year in areas that didn't have rain," said Greg Kaufman, President of Pacific Whale Foundation. Kaufman was stationed with 14 volunteers at the top of Puu Olai, the small hill located behind Makena Beach State Park. This location was spared from the strong gusty winds this year, due to its leeward location.
"The weather conditions last year and this year at Puu Olai were actually similar, with mostly clear skies and relatively calm seas," he noted. "However, we had 225 sightings this year - about 20% fewer than our 287 sightings last year."
As noted earlier, in 2008, there were 1,726 sightings. In 2007, counters at all of the sites tallied a total of 959 whale sightings. In 2006, there were 1,265 humpback whales counted. There were 649 humpback whale sightings recorded during the 2005 count. In 2004, rainy weather caused a disruption in the counting. In 2003, there were 815 sightings tallied. The counters in
2002 reported 673 sightings.
In looking at recent years' data, Kaufman noted a two year cycle: in years ending with an odd number, the numbers of whale sightings was lower; in years ending with an even number, the numbers of whale sightings were higher.
"It's possible that there is a two-year breeding cycle here, with a larger number of mature females ready to breed in the 'even' numbered years, and a smaller number of mature females breeding in the 'odd' numbered years," Kaufman said. "In other words, 'even' numbered years
it's up, 'odd" numbered years it's down."
"Not all females breed in the same year, but in nature there is a year (when you have two year breeding cycles for mature females) during which more females will breed," he said. "We have seen patterns of this type in Australia, and I've heard about something similar from researchers working off the coast of Africa."
This year, Puu Olai reported the largest number of sightings, followed by the lookout at McGregor Point, which had 222 sightings. Launiopoko ranked third for sightings, with 160 whale sightings
counted.
Of the 1,010 whales, 104 - or about 10% -- were calves.
The whales were most active between 10:20 and 10:25 a.m., followed by the period between 11:00 and 11:05, when the counters observed the largest numbers of surface active behaviors. Interestingly, the west side sites were the most active.
"When the sea is rougher, it seems that you see more active behaviors," says Quincy Gibson, Ph.D., Research Director at Pacific Whale Foundation, and the leader of the Great Maui Whale Count. "What is happening is that when the sea state increases (i.e., the sea becomes rougher), the likelihood of detecting 'normal' surfacing behaviors decreases, and therefore you are more likely to detect, or see more aerial/surface active behaviors."
The Great Maui Whale Count is scheduled for time of year that is considered the peak of the season in Hawaii -- a time when the maximum numbers of humpback whales of all ages and sex classes are found on Maui. "It's when you have the most calves, juveniles, adult males and adult females," notes Kaufman. "However, the peak of the season can shift by one or two weeks in either direction."
"Based on what we observed today, I would say that we have not yet hit the peak," he said. "I would expect the relative proportion of calves and the average pod size to be a bit higher if we were at the apex of the season."
To conduct the count, the volunteers and staff worked in 20-minute intervals. During the first ten minutes of each interval, they scanned the area extending three miles out from their station, noting the numbers of pods, the numbers of whales in each pod, whether calves were present and the direction in which the animals were moving. They took compass bearings to note the location of the whales on a map. They also recorded data on sea state, percentage glare, wind speed and wind direction.
Immediately following this scan, the counters devoted five minutes to recording significant behaviors, such as breaches, pectoral fin slaps, tail slaps, and peduncle throws. The next five minutes were "rest time" -- and then the scanning cycle was repeated. The same cycles were followed at each of the counting sites.
The count is limited to within three miles of shore, because the accuracy of determining numbers in each pod or group and the sightability of calves diminishes dramatically beyond that point.
Pacific Whale Foundation is Maui's oldest and largest marine conservation organization. Pacific Whale Foundation researchers have conducted field studies of humpback whales in Hawaii, Australia, Tonga, Ecuador and other parts of the Pacific since 1980. The Great Whale Count was originated by Pacific Whale Foundation researchers in 1988, to involve the public in gathering data about the numbers of humpback whales that can be seen from Maui's shorelines.
"The Great Maui Whale Count is a tradition we began on Maui back in 1988," says Greg Kaufman, President and founder of Pacific Whale Foundation. "We also started a Great Whale Count on Oahu in 1996 in partnership with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale Natonal Marine Sanctuary, and in 1998 they changed the name to 'Ocean Count' and took over running it on their own."
An estimated 18,000 humpback whales live in the North Pacific; about 60% of that population is believed to come to Hawaii each year. The majority are found off the coast of Maui, in the area bordered by the islands of Maui, Kaho'olawe, Moloka'i and Lana'i.
The whales come to Maui to mate, give birth and care for their young, and are known for their intriguing and acrobatic behaviors, which include breaching, tail slapping and singing underwater.
The count helps to raise public awareness about whales and whale research, and supplements data about whales gathered by Pacific Whale Foundation and other researchers.
"We had people from Maui and around the world joining in this effort." says Gibson. "We stopped accepting people after we hit 200 participants to ensure a quality experinece for everyone involved, but we could have easily doubled or tripled that number based on the volume of calls I was receiving."
In Maalaea, a group of eighteen girls, ages 11 and 12, participated in the count. "We are the Pilialoha 4-H Club, said group leader Wendy Nathan. "We are all from different parts of the island, including Central Maui and from Upcountry."
"We decided to participate in the Great Whale Count because our project theme this year is oceanography," she said. "We are learning all about marine life and the Great Whale Count gave us a chance to learn about whales and their behavior. It was fun!!"
Gerry, Betty and Geff Gast of Wisconsin decided to spend part of their vacation participating in the count. "We had learned about the count via internet, and felt it would be a great memory of Hawaiian life!," Betty commented.. "We're not disappointed! Thank you."
The Great Whale Count is the final event of the 2009 Maui Whale Festival, a month-long series of events that included the Run for the Whales, Maui's Parade of Whales, Whale Day and free talks and VIP whalewatches.
"During the course of February, nearly 50,000 individuals participated in Maui Whale Festival events and Pacific Whale Foundation Eco-Adventures." says Kaufman. "It was a fantastic month of honoring the humpback whales that come to Maui each year."
To learn more about Pacific Whale Foundation and to view photos from the Great Whale Count, visit www.pacificwhale.org or call (808) 249-8811.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Anne Rillero
Communications Director
Pacific Whale Foundation
The Harbor Shops at Ma'alaea
300 Ma'alaea Rd., Suite 211
Wailuku, HI 96793
(808) 244-8390
anne@pacificwhale.org
-or- PRpwf@aol.com
To learn more, call (808) 249-8811 or 1-800-WHALE-1-1
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