Ocean Blog

The area has never had marine debris removed on this large of a scale before.

Husband and wife, Stephen Howard and Yukako Toriyama, were ordered to pay fines for fishing and boating violations, which happened last Sept. 15.

Ocean goers of all kinds are asked to take precautions not to harm, disturb or otherwise disrupt the pairs in their natural habitat. 

The DLNR said constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic delayed completion of post-mortem examinations.

Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, the sanctuary is running the program without the normal participation of volunteers.

A fast-growing species of algae was discovered to be infesting Hawai‘i’s northwestern waters.

The public is invited to virtually attend the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary advisory council GoToWebinar in a couple of weeks.

Ocean users are asked to use caution when navigating shared waters.

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.

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.

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.

Sanctuary Ocean Count and Great Whale Count volunteers gathered to observe humpback whales from Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, and Maui.

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).

After dissecting hundreds of larval fish, the researchers discovered that many fish species ingested plastic particles.

Water clarity and quality at Sand Island, Honolulu will be improved using a natural resource — oysters. 

This year’s coral bleaching event has prompted state agencies to create a pledge to protect the delicate ocean ecosystem.

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary will hold an advisory council meeting at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center next month.

The pledge includes a simple set of recommendations to help reduce human impacts to Hawai‘i reefs year-round.

Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is looking for 10 primary and nine alternate seats for the council.

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.