A statewide snapshot of humpback whale activity showed a sharp decline this year, with weather and fewer volunteers affecting the annual Great Whale Count.

The count recorded a 39% decrease in whales observed across the Hawaiian Islands on March 28 compared with the same day in 2025.

The drop was more pronounced in Maui County, where 141 whales were counted, down from 333 last year — a 54% decrease.

Pacific Whale Foundation Chief Scientist Jens Currie said he expected a lower count, in part because the number of sites with volunteer counters in Maui County fell from 12 to nine due to a lack of volunteers and poor weather.

“I’m not alarmed about it,” he said.

Choppy seas and 10- to 15-foot swells reported by the National Weather Service contributed to poor visibility, making it more difficult to detect whales. Several sites also canceled counts because of weather impacts.

A total of 435 whales were counted at 37 sites statewide, down 279 from the same period last year.

Island totals included 169 whales on Kauai, 77 on Oahu and 37 on Hawaii island.

The highest number of sightings occurred between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m., when 76 whales were observed.

The Great Whale Count, organized by Pacific Whale Foundation in Maui County and the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary elsewhere in the state, relies on hundreds of volunteers to tally sightings and document whale behavior during the survey.

Observers also reported other species, including green sea turtles, Hawaiian monk seals, spinner dolphins, flying fish and seabirds such as koaʻe ʻula, koaʻe kea, ʻiwa, ʻā and nene.

Both groups hold counts three times during peak whale season annually on the last Saturday in January, February, and March.

Pacific Whale Foundation’s Great Whale Count data can be found at pacificwhale.org/research/community-science/ with additional information at mauiwhalefestival.org.

This year the Pacific Whale Foundation is celebrating 45 years of research, education, and conservation. Learn more about the week of events to celebrate here: https://pacificwhale.org/world-whale-day-2026/

Pacific Whale Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1980 to protect a declining humpback whale population from global threats, including commercial whaling. PWF protects the ocean through science and advocacy, works to inspire environmental stewardship, and conducts research, education, and conservation programs for the communities it serves in Maui, Australia, Ecuador, and Chile.

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, established in 2000, is the official non-profit partner of the National Marine Sanctuary System. The Foundation directly supports national marine sanctuaries by protecting species, conserving ecosystems and preserving America’s maritime heritage through on-the-water conservation projects, public education and outreach programs and scientific research and exploration.