Expert researchers, scientists and photographers from across the U.S.  will offer two exciting evenings of free talks, slideshows and video presentations to share their work and latest discoveries about whales and our oceans. Special daytime whalewatch cruises, led by these experts, are also available.

Friday, February 10:

FREE TALK

"Swimming In Trash: Marine Debris and Its Effect on Whales"

 What's the latest on the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch"  and the tsunami debris heading for Hawai'i? What are the impacts of marine debris on marine mammals? Why is Hawaii’s underwater world so unique – and so worthy of protection?

• 5:30 - 5:40 pm  Welcome
  Greg Kaufman, President of Pacific Whale Foundation

• 5:40 - 6:00 pm  “Hawai’i: A State of Isolation”
  David Fleetham, Marine Wildlife Photographer
  Through photography and words, David Fleetham will show why Hawaii’s undersea world is so unique – and so worth saving.

  David Fleetham’s photographs have been published around the globe, with over one hundred magazine covers to date. In 1991 his photograph of a sandbar shark appeared on the cover of LIFE. It is the only underwater photograph to ever be selected for the cover. His award-winning work has been published by National Geographic, The Cousteau Society and every North American diving publication. The Smithsonian Museum, The North Carolina Museum of Natural History, The London Zoo, Hong Kong Museum, The Waikiki, Vancouver, Monterey Bay, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Maui Ocean Center and the Aquarium of the Americas all display his work.  

• 6:05 - 6: 35 pm  “Marine Plastic Pollution”
  Bill Francis, President, Algalita Marine Research Foundation
  As president of a nonprofit organization that has visited and studied the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the world’s major ocean gyres, Bill Francis will talk about marine plastic pollution, how it is quantified, its impacts on human health and possible solutions.

  Algalita Marine Research Foundation is a non-profit organization that has made research voyages to all five of the world's major gyres, including the North Pacific Gyre, resulting in a body of authoritative research publications and data and educational programs about marine debris. 

• 6:40 - 7:10 pm  “Tracking the Japanese Tsunami Debris: Model and Observations"
  Jan Hafner, PhD, Scientific Computer Programmer, International Pacific Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa
  Gain a better understanding of the movement and progress of the tsunami debris across the North Pacific, and hear about a recent tsunami debris survey expedition, organized by University of Hawaii, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Ocean Recovery Alliance.

  Dr. Jan Hafner is a Scientific Computer Programmer at the International Pacific Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa. He earned his degree in meteorology in 1990 from Charles University in Prague. In 1996 he completed his PhD studies at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Between 1996 and 1999 he was a postdoctoral fellow at the CIRA (Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere) - Colorado State University. His work encompassed satellite data processing and analysis, numerical modeling on regional and global scale. He will be speaking on tracking the Japanese tsunami debris, including a model and observations, a project that he is working on with Nikolai Maximenko of International Pacific Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at University of Hawaii. 

• 7:10 - 7:40 pm  "Large Whale Entanglement Response in Hawaii: How We Do It and What We Have Learned"
  Ed Lyman, Marine Mammal Response Manager, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
  Ed Lyman coordinates the sanctuary's and NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program's large whale entanglement response network.

  Ed Lyman coordinates NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Programs and works with a network of responders in an attempt to free large whales from life threatening entanglements. He has assisted in more than 50 large whale disentanglements in Hawaii, Australia, and along the East Coast of the U.S.   He  is a staff member of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, which was created by Congress in 1992 to protect humpback whales and their habitat in Hawai`i. The sanctuary is co-managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the State of Hawai‘i. Through education, outreach, research and resource protection activities, the sanctuary strives to protect humpback whales and their habitat in Hawai‘i.   

• 7:45 - 8:10   Question and Answer Period
  We invite you to address your questions about marine debris, whales, the oceans and marine conservation to our panel of experts.

Saturday, February 11:

FREE TALK

"In the Presence of Giants"

What is it like to be a lone swimmer photographing the ocean's "giants" -- underwater? What are the latest discoveries about whale social sounds and communication, and the impacts of man-made noise on whales. What is science showing about the impacts of whalewatching -- on humans and whales?  Why are studies of "surprise encounters" and "near misses" important for protecting Hawaii's whales?

• 5:30 - 5:40 pm  Welcome
  Greg Kaufman, President, Pacific Whale Foundation
  
• 5:40 - 6:00 pm  “In the Presence of Giants: My Time with Humpback Whales “
  Douglas Hoffman, Marine Wildlife Photographer
  Douglas Hoffman works to create compelling images of nature that reflect beauty and drama in order to evoke an emotional response and raise awareness. Hoffman is well known for fine art photographs of humpback whales.

  Doug Hoffman is well known for his fine art photographs of humpback whales. He has received numerous awards, been featured in several art galleries, and has been the subject of several magazine and newspaper articles. In January of 2012, he received the prestigious Master of Photography Degree from the Professional Photographers of America.  His goal is to create compelling images of nature that reflect beauty and drama in order to evoke an emotional response and raise awareness. Over the last six years Douglas has traveled to Tonga to document whale behavior. Doug has also traveled to photograph sperm whales in the Azores.  

• 6:05 - 6: 35 pm  “The Rich Behavioral and Acoustic Repertoire of Humpback Whales Under Water”
  Alison Stimpert, PhD, National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow, Oceanography Department, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA
  Dr. Stimpert’s research uses suction-cup acoustic tags to correlate sound production with underwater behavior of humpback whales. Her work will help us understand how anthropogenic noise in the ocean may affect whale populations.

  Dr. Stimpert will speak on the rich behavioral and acoustic repertoire of humpback whales underwater, based on her studies of bioacoustics, including using suction-cup acoustic tags to correlate sound production with underwater behavior, and her ongoing investigations into the impact of anthropogenic sound on the social behavior and foraging ecology of cetaceans. Dr. Simpert has studied the behavior of humpback whale populations in the waters around Hawaii, Massachusetts, Alaska, Australia, and Antarctica, and of several other whale and dolphin species through aerial and boat-based surveys, from shore, and remotely, using passive acoustics. 

• 6:40 - 7:05 pm  “The Value of Whalewatching: Its Contributions to Science and Conservation”
  Carole Carlson, PhD, Director of Research and Education, Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch, Adjunct Scientist, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, Research Associate, College of the Atlantic
  Dr. Carlson has spent over thirty years studying large cetaceans off the east coast of the United States, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic and the Eastern Caribbean and is an acknowledged expert on photo-identification techniques, humpback whales and whale watching. She is also an active member of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission.

  Dr. Carole Carlson has spent more than twenty-six years studying cetaceans off the east coast of the United States, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic and the Eastern Caribbean and is an acknowledged world expert on photo-identification techniques, humpback whales and whale watching. She curates the North Atlantic Humpback Whale and Antarctic Humpback Whale photo identification catalogues and serves on the Whalewatch Sub-Committee of the International Whaling Commission. She has also organized and conducted several international workshops to promote responsible whale watching as a viable ecological and economical alternative to whaling. 

• 7:10 - 7:40 pm  "Whales and Boats: the Whale Strike Dilemma"
  Daniela Maldini, PhD, Chief Scientist, Pacific Whale Foundation
  Dr. Maldini will present an overview of scientific knowledge on whale strikes, a perspective on the potential factors that contribute to their occurrence, and current gaps in knowledge on the topic. She will also share some of the preliminary findings of an ongoing study on boat/whale interactions in Maui County.

  Dr. Maldini has led long-term research projects on bottlenose dolphins and sea otters in Monterey Bay and odontocete abundance and distribution in Hawaii and transient killer whale ecology in Alaska as a Research Associate at the Alaska SeaLife Center. Prior to joining Pacific Whale Foundation, she was the Director of Research at Earthwatch Institute. At Pacific Whale Foundation, she leads several research studies, including Pacific Whale Foundation’s work to prevent vessel-whale collisions in Hawaii, by analyzing humpback whale surprise encounters and vessel near misses. 

• 7:45 - 8:10 pm  Question and Answer Period
  We invite you to address your questions about  whales, the oceans and marine conservation to our panel of experts.
   

Saturday, February 11 and Sunday, February 12, 2012

VIP Whalewatch Cruises with the Experts

Go whalewatching with the special team of experts that have gathered for the Weekend with the Experts.  Choose from Saturday or Sunday cruises. Departures available from Ma'alaea and Lahaina. Reservations are required. For reservations, visit www.pacificwhale.org or call (808) 249-8811 ext. 1.