Ocean Blog
Friday, February 26, 2021
State Issues Record Fines Against Aquarium Fishing Couple
Husband and wife, Stephen Howard and Yukako Toriyama, were ordered to pay fines for fishing and boating violations, which happened last Sept. 15.
Monday, February 15, 2021
VIDEO: Mother/Calf Humpback Pairs Abound in Hawaiʻi
Ocean goers of all kinds are asked to take precautions not to harm, disturb or otherwise disrupt the pairs in their natural habitat.
Wednesday, February 03, 2021
Fishing Nets Likely Caused Monk Seal Drownings Off Kaua‘i, NOAA Says
The DLNR said constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic delayed completion of post-mortem examinations.
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Humpback Ocean Count Modified in 2021
Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, the sanctuary is running the program without the normal participation of volunteers.
Tuesday, July 07, 2020
Newly Discovered Algae Infesting Hawai‘i’s Northwestern Waters
A fast-growing species of algae was discovered to be infesting Hawai‘i’s northwestern waters.
Wednesday, July 01, 2020
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council to hold virtual meeting
The public is invited to virtually attend the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary advisory council GoToWebinar in a couple of weeks.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Handful of Confirmed Vessel Collisions With Whales Reported
Ocean users are asked to use caution when navigating shared waters.
Sunday, March 01, 2020
Whales Abound in Hawaiian Waters, Counts Say
Although weather conditions were not ideal for viewing whales at the majority of sites, folks were still able to spot some whales in addition to other species.
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
New NOAA Research Vessel is Hawai‘i Bound
Design of the vessel is currently underway, and NOAA expects to award a contract for the construction of the ship by the end of the year.
Monday, February 03, 2020
Humpback Mother/Calf Pairs in ‘Abundance’ Near Sanctuary
Humpback whales are protected in Hawai‘i. Federal regulations prohibit approaching within 100 yards of whales when on the water and 1,000 feet when operating an aircraft.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Hundreds of Humback Whales Counted Along Hawaiian Island Shores
Sanctuary Ocean Count and Great Whale Count volunteers gathered to observe humpback whales from Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, and Maui.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Thousands of Pounds of Debris Removed from Ka‘ū Coastline
According to the HWF Facebook page, last year alone, HWF and volunteers removed over 55,000 pounds from remote and rocky shorelines on Hawai‘i Island (plus over 26,000 pounds from Maui).
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Larval Fish Ingesting Plastic via Surface Slicks
After dissecting hundreds of larval fish, the researchers discovered that many fish species ingested plastic particles.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
UH Hilo Oysters Will Clean Water at Sand Island
Water clarity and quality at Sand Island, Honolulu will be improved using a natural resource — oysters.
Thursday, November 07, 2019
DLNR Encourages Companies, Locals to Take Coral Pledge
This year’s coral bleaching event has prompted state agencies to create a pledge to protect the delicate ocean ecosystem.
Sunday, November 03, 2019
Humpback Whale Advisory Council Hilo Meeting
The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary will hold an advisory council meeting at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center next month.
Saturday, November 02, 2019
State Launches ‘Coral Pledge’ to Save Reefs
The pledge includes a simple set of recommendations to help reduce human impacts to Hawai‘i reefs year-round.
Friday, October 18, 2019
Openings on Advisory Council for Humpback Whale Sanctuary
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is looking for 10 primary and nine alternate seats for the council.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
UH Mānoa Researchers Study Habits of Humback Whales
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers and their collaborators have captured video from a humpback whale’s-point-of-view as it works to ensnare its prey.
Wednesday, October 02, 2019
Reef Ecosystem Reserve Seeks Advisory Council Members
NOAA’s Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve is looking to fill multiple positions on its advisory council.