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The Maui News
Volunteers looking for whales off Maui on Saturday reported fewer sightings than in the previous two Great Whale Counts this season.
A total of 56 whale sightings were recorded from 9:30 to 9:45 a.m., the most of any other time period during the third count of the season. This was fewer than the 122 whales sightings during the peak period of the count in January and the 94 sightings during the peak period of the count in February.
Volunteers at 12 sites on Maui scanned the ocean for whales during 15-minute intervals between 8:30 and 11:50 a.m. Saturday, according to a news release from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The event organized by the Pacific Whale Foundation is part of a long-term survey of humpback whales in Hawaii. It helps provide a snapshot of trends in relative abundance of whales and is one of the world's longest-running cetacean-based community science projects, according to the news release.
Another 241 volunteers gathered data from the shores of Oahu, Kauai and Hawaii islands during the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count. Volunteers on the three islands collected data from 32 sites and recorded a total of 93 whale sightings from 10 to 10:15 a.m., the most of any other time period throughout the day's count.
Whale sightings were recorded at a total of 44 sites statewide on Saturday, with 136 sightings noted from 10 to 10:15 a.m., the most of any other time period.
Average weather conditions were windy, with sunny skies and light to medium swells with white caps, according to the news release. These conditions impacted visibility, making it harder to view whales especially during the last scans of the event.
Both counts take place three times during the peak of the whale season on the last Saturdays of January, February and March.
Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, the sanctuary and whale foundation are running modified programs. This was the first count since the start of the pandemic to welcome back a small number of volunteers at designated sites to participate in the count, according to the news release.
This is also the fourth year that both counts were coordinated on the same days, ensuring that data are collected simultaneously.
For more information on Pacific Whale Foundation's Great Whale Count on Maui, visit pacificwhale.org/research/community-science/ or mauiwhalefestival.org.